


Go to hell

by Reinie



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: GreekmythologyAU!, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-11-01 06:48:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17862380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reinie/pseuds/Reinie
Summary: Sure, Jeonghan had cursed him but he didn't really expect to meet the man who abandoned him and their son in hell.





	1. Jeonghan

When Seungcheol did not come home one night 15 years ago, Jeonghan was worried sick. His husband would always let him know if he was going to be home late and when Jeonghan could not contact the man, Jeonghan feared that he might have gotten into an accident or robbed and dying in a ditch. 

But when the missing person’s report came up naught and no one from Seungcheol’s friends or family knew where Seungcheol went, Jeonghan’s worry turned to anger. How dare he leave Jeonghan alone with their newly adopted six-month-old son?! Did he find someone new and not have the guts to tell Jeonghan? Did he just decide one day that he had enough of the domestic life and decided to run away? How could he just abandon his duties as a father and husband like that?! 

And when a month passed with no word from Seungcheol, Jeonghan started bargaining. If Seungcheol was to turn up at his door by the next minute, Jeonghan would magnanimously forgive him. But when minutes turned to hours and hours turned to days then months, Jeonghan fell into a state of depression. 

His friends and family would find Jeonghan staring outside the window while baby Hansol was screaming his lungs out in the other room. It took many talks and visits to counsellors before Jeonghan was able to function again. Ultimately, it was the fear that they would take away his baby that had Jeonghan breaking out of his grief to accept that Seungcheol would never come back and Jeonghan had to move on. 

So Jeonghan did. 

He sold the two-storey house they once lived as a couple to buy a smaller apartment nearer his parents so that they could help take care of Hansol when Jeonghan was working. Previously, Jeonghan never had to worry about finances or who was going to take care of Hansol as Seungcheol was the high-paying lawyer while Jeonghan worked as a graphic designer from home. But with a single income, Jeonghan had to tighten the purse strings to ensure that they have enough to see Hansol through his many needs. Despite the many offers of support from both his and Seungcheol’s friends and family, Jeonghan politely declined them all. He wanted to be independent and he was also strong enough to admit that Seungcheol’s disappearance left him weary of being dependent on others. 

Being a single parent was difficult, especially a first-time father with a child so young. He had difficulty understanding what Hansol wanted and in the beginning, he cried every time that Hansol cried. The child was finicky and it took many trials and errors for Jeonghan to decipher what his son wants and to really step into his role as a parent. Jeonghan went from his love of waking up late and taking naps during the day to surviving on half-hourly naps throughout the night to cater to Hansol when he wakes up for his milk, was frightened or just being fussy. His son may have grown up but Jeonghan’s sleep cycle never changed; the father would still check to see if his son’s blanket was tucked, brush his hair away from his face or just to see if he was still breathing. 

And when Jeonghan was not being busy being a father, he was pouring over designs on his laptop, churning out drafts for print and online advertisements. Jeonghan’s biggest, and most important, client was a brand selling kitchen ware and their pitch this time was on family time in the kitchen. So every time Jeonghan worked on his design of the ideal nuclear family bonding in the kitchen while using his client’s range of kitchen ware, Jeonghan cursed himself for not taking his writing class more seriously. He could have become an author who could write about the heartless man who abandoned his family and how the brave protagonist sought revenge by rising above the betrayal to be more successful than the scoundrel could ever be. The protagonist’s son would grow up to be a world-class physicist who dedicated the cure for world hunger to his loving father for single-handedly raising him to be the genius he grew up to be. 

Jeonghan chuckled at his wild imagination. Hansol was more likely to become a musician rather than a physicist going by how much his son loved the keyboard and ukulele that Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s parents respectively brought for Hansol’s fifth birthday. Jeonghan endured his bleeding eardrums and even learned to work through Hansol’s noise which only accelerated when, at Hansol’s tenth birthday, his in-laws brought his son an acoustic guitar. 

Not one to be outdone, his parents brought a piano. Thankfully, it was not a grand as the baby grand barely fitted in his small apartment and Jeonghan had to sell the dining table to make space for that huge instrument. Thankfully, the father and son usually ate on the couch anyway so it wasn’t missed. 

And while Jeonghan knew that his parents didn’t really like Seungcheol’s parents for obvious reasons, Jeonghan never denied his in-laws from visiting their grandson despite his feelings about their son and they were grateful for that. They even opened an account for Hansol and had made generous monthly deposits to help with the boy’s education later in life. Jeonghan’s parents had one-upped the in-laws by opening an “extracurricular” account for both Jeonghan and Hansol – an account which would enable Jeonghan to have yearly holidays with his son for the rest of his life, or until Hansol wants to spend more time with his own family instead of his father, a thought that made Jeonghan’s heart clench. His remedy to that would be to seek out his little boy and cuddle him close, repeating to his confused son that he would love to see Paris with him when he is 50. 

That was easy when Hansol was a child. The boy would hug his father back and ask about Paris. Jeonghan would then turn on the laptop and show the boy all the sights of Paris and they would plan their imaginary trip. 

The teenager Hansol was not as affectionate. Teenager Hansol loved music more than people, often seen with headphones on, even at home. He still plays on the piano though not as often as the guitar. The boy often locks himself in the room and the sounds of the guitar would waft into Jeonghan’s room slash make-shift office. While the boy didn’t mind Jeonghan listening in and even clapping at the end much to Hansol’s embarrasement, the boy did mind Jeonghan listening when he was playing the guitar. Once, Jeonghan had left the house to drop by a client’s place and returned home to hear the strums of the guitar from Hansol’s room. Hansol’s bedroom door was ajar and Jeonghan, for the first time, witnessed his boy playing on the guitar, a serene smile on his lips as he mouthed some lyrics that Jeonghan could not hear. The smile died when the boy looked up to meet Jeonghan’s eyes and immediately, stood up to slam the door in Jeonghan’s face. 

To say Jeonghan was shocked was an understatement as he stood infront of the closed door, feeling both hurt and angry. He almost banged his fist on the closed door, demanding for Hansol to open the door but that was not how their relationship works. So Jeonghan forced himself to walk to his bedroom and turn on his laptop even though he did not have anything urgent to work on; he just wanted a distraction. 

Jeonghan’s patience paid off as a few minutes of Jeonghan staring at his editing software, Hansol came out of his room and stood awkwardly next to Jeonghan’s chair. 

“Um, dad..” the boy trailed off, looking at the ground, looking so remorseful. 

Jeonghan hummed in acknowledgement as he turned away from the laptop to look at his son. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to slam the door in your face,” the boy shifted awkwardly, looking at his feet, “"I just didn’t want to upset you so I panicked and.. well, you know what happened after that.” 

“Upset?” Jeonghan asked, confused. 

Hansol peeked up at Jeonghan through his overdue-for-a-cut fringe, “you know, playing the guitar.” 

“Oh, honey,” Jeonghan stood up to ruffle his son’s hair, the boy was just a head shorter than him at 14, he was bound to be taller than Jeonghan in a few more years. 

“Why would I be upset about you playing the guitar?” 

Hansol blinked a few times, “Because it belongs to my other dad?” 

Oh. 

Damn his in-laws. Jeonghan had thrown everything that could remind him of the man who abandoned his family and his in-laws just had to give his son his husband’s guitar. 

Jeonghan tried to act as normal as possible, putting on a gentle smile for his precious son. 

“It’s just a guitar, Hansol, and it belongs to you now so it doesn’t bother me at all,” and when his son looked dubious, Jeonghan added, “Besides, I would love to see you play it. I love you on the piano and I will love you playing on the guitar as well. I would love any instrument you play.” 

Hansol pinked as he grumbled, “You’re my dad, you have to say that.” 

Jeonghan smirked, “You’re right but it doesn’t make it any less true.” 

The boy flushed as he wrapped his arms around Jeonghan and while no words were exchanged, no words were needed as well. Jeonghan knew the boy’s thoughts without him saying them and it was necessary as the boy’s word quota was lower than even the quietest person Jeonghan knew. 

He basks in the hug for a few moments before patting his son’s back. 

“So, what do you want for dinner?” 

And with that question, the earlier scene was forgotten as the boy pulled away and started looking through take-aways menus on his phone. All was back to normal as they had their dinner infront of the television, Jeonghan reminding his son to chew while Hansol reminded his father to eat more. After the plates were cleared, Jeonghan pressed a kiss to Hansol’s head before retreating to his bedroom and going through his nightly routine. 

It was only later when Jeonghan heard the strums of the guitar that the memories of his husband serenading him on that guitar resurfaced in his mind and he could only roughly wipe away the tears on his face. 

Jeonghan only managed to fall asleep after repeatedly cursing the man to hell and back.


	2. Hades

It had been weeks since father and son spoke about the guitar episode and all was fine. 

It really was. 

Jeonghan stopped tearing up two days after and pretended that the old hurt was not resurfacing. He even managed an enthusiastic "Yes!” when Hansol asked if he wants to watch him play. Jeonghan clapped at the end of the performance, genuinely proud of his son even though he was bleeding inside. 

So it was fine, at least on the surface and as far as his son was concerned. All was fine. 

Until, that happened. 

It was a particularly cold day and Jeonghan was bundled up in layers despite the heater, making breakfast for Hansol before the boy goes to school. He heard his son’s bedroom door open and instead of a sleepy “morning dad”, Jeonghan heard a hasty, “I’m gonna be late for school!” 

He turned away from the stove in time to see his son opening the door with a guitar-shaped bag slung across his son’s back. 

“Yoon Vernon Hansol.” 

Hansol froze and did Jeonghan just hear his baby curse? 

“Where are you going with the guitar?” 

Hansol begrudging turned around, a guilty expression on his face. 

“One of the strings snapped, I was going to bring it to the music shop after school to get it re-stringed.” 

Jeonghan raised a brow, “and why can’t you come home after school then go to the music shop? Or go during the weekend? It’s only two days away.” 

“But it’s more convenient to bring it to school then come back and go out again!” the boy protested before his tone lowered, eyes looking away, “and besides..” 

“Besides?” 

Hansol quickly shook his head, “Nothing.” 

Jeonghan frowned at the obvious lie. Hansol knew about his father’s “no bringing of guitar to school” rule. The boy was already glued to his headphones, he didn’t need another distraction. 

A quick glance at the clock and he knew that Hansol had to go soon before he is really late for school; the boy hadn’t had breakfast yet. 

“How about this,” Jeonghan suggested, “I’ll bring it to the music shop and meet you there after school. That way, it might even be fixed by the time you reach the shop.” 

Hansol kept silent, biting his bottom lip in anxiety and Jeonghan hazarded a guess. 

He sighed, “Is it about who owned the guitar previously?” 

Hansol nodded slowly, eyes guilty and Jeonghan’s heart sank. Maybe his son was not as unaware of his feelings as he thought. 

“Honey, I already said that it’s okay.” 

Hansol’s expression spoke volumes but this was unfortunately not the time to discuss it. 

“We’ll talk about this tonight okay? After we get your guitar fixed at the music shop, we’ll go to that café you like and we can talk. You can ask anything and I promise I won’t be upset.” 

Hansol’s expression remained cautious and Jeonghan smiled reasurringly before opening up his arms, “Come here.” 

Thankfully, Hansol went willingly, hugging his father tightly as Jeonghan squeezed back. 

“I love you so much, honey,” Jeonghan whispered, “thank you for being so considerate.” 

Hansol hid his face in his father’s chest and muttered, “I’m your son, it’s my job.” 

Jeonghan chuckled, “But that doesn’t make it any less true,” and he released him after a peck on his forehead. 

“Now go have your breakfast before you are really late for school.” 

So that was how Jeonghan found himself standing in the music shop after handing the owner the damn guitar. His son had texted him on what to tell the owner so after showing the owner the text message, the owner nodded and said it’ll be done in half an hour and Jeonghan could look around while he waited for his son. But, Jeonghan was already feeling overwhelmed with the rows of guitars and he honestly didn’t want to put up a front, at least not until his son gets here. So he excused himself and texted his son that he was going to run some errands and to wait for him at the shop if he doesn’t see him. He also sent a proof shot of the owner working on the guitar before slipping the device in his coat pocket. 

Outside of the shop, Jeonghan took a deep calming breath, thinking he could go to the café to maybe get some icecream first. Sure, it was freezing but icecream was best savored in winter without the possibility of being a melting mess in 30 seconds. He pulled the scarf closer to his face to cover his freezing nose, blocking almost half of his face in the process as he shuffled towards the café, the sidewalk slippery from the wet snow. 

His phone vibrated in his coat pocket. Taking out his phone, he saw that his son had replied to the proof shot with prayer hands and a kissy face emoji and he grinned but the smile was short-lived as he heard tires screeching, random shouting and when he looked up, a car had driven up the curb and was heading right towards him. 

Jeonghan froze as the car rammed into him and the impact caused him to fly backwards, his back crashing into the building wall. He didn’t know when he blacked out but when he opened his eyes, he was standing by the dock of a river. 

“What the..” Jeonghan trailed off, looking around, beyond confused. He looked down and his warm and comfy ensemble was replaced with a white sheet. His bag and belongings were also gone. Was he robbed? Was he dreaming? He was supposed to meet Hansol at the music shop. How the hell did he end up at a river bank? 

“Do you have the coins?” 

Jeonghan jumped and he whipped around to see a man standing in a boat by the dock, one that was definitely not there earlier. 

“What?” 

The boatman sighed exasperatedly as he muttered, “The new ones are always so confused,” he then cleared his throat. 

“Kid, you’re dead. I’m the guy who will ferry you across to the underworld where you will receive judgement and-” 

“Stop right there,” Jeonghan interrupted, “I’m not dead. I’m supposed to meet my son at the music shop to get that stupid guitar! I was going to get icecream and then there was a car and..” Jeonghan trailed off, color leaving his face as he realized what happened. 

“Fuck!” Jeonghan yelled, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” followed by a long scream that left the man panting for breath. 

The boatman didn’t even bat an eye, “You done?” 

Jeonghan scowled, “Apparently, fucking yes.” 

The boatman cracked a smile, “I like you. I am this lifetime’s Charon. Name’s Wonwoo and as service, I’ll send you across free.” 

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, “Not that you have much of a choice. I don’t have anything on me anyway, you know, being fucking dead and all.” 

Wonwoo’s smile widen, “Wow, you sure like to curse.” 

Jeonghan rolled his eyes again, “I’m a single dad with a teenager and I haven’t cursed aloud for 15 years. Pardon me for cursing because I’m fucking dead!” 

The boatman chuckled, “Well, come aboard then. You may be dead but I don’t have all day.” 

Jeonghan purposely stomped onboard, causing the boat to rock violently as he sat down, frowning. 

The boatman, Wonwoo, snapped his fingers and the boat started moving away from the dock, towards a direction that Jeonghan could not see. The boat moved silently, there wasn’t even the sound of water lapping against the boat; it was as though the boat was moving through air. And in the silence, Jeonghan realized the gravity of his situation. 

Who was going to take care of his baby now? Hansol will probably move in with one of his grandparents. Both doted on him so either was fine though Jeonghan preferred his parents for obvious reasons. Then there was his funeral arrangements. His parents would probably take care of it and Jeonghan regretted not spending a little more time with them. For the past 15 years, he only saw them during major festive holidays where he would bring Hansol to meet his grandparents. If only, he had more time to tell them he loved them and how grateful he was for them silently supporting him all the time. 

He also regretted not hugging Hansol one more time. Sure, he had hugged his son just this morning and told him he loved him but if he knew this would happen, he would have hold on just a little longer. And shit, Jeonghan just remembered that he hadn’t paid for the re-stringing of the guitar yet! Hansol will probably have enough to settle the bill as the boy was always frugal even though Jeonghan wanted to pay for it. And Jeonghan had so much more to tell the boy. He wanted to see his baby grow up, have a family of his own, be the successful musician he knew his son would be. 

Jeonghan sighed and cursed, “Great, from one parent to no parents. Fucking hell.” 

The more he thought about it, the more angry Jeonghan felt. He stood up suddenly, causing the boat to rock. 

“You,” Jeonghan pointed at Wonwoo , “turn the boat around. No way in hell am I going to die now and leave my son without a parent.” 

Wonwoo lifted an amused brow, voice sarcastic, “Gee, I love to do that but unfortunately this is a one-way trip. I can’t take you back even if I want to.” 

Jeonghan was undeterred, “Then what do I have to do to change this. I cannot die!” 

Wonwoo chuckled, “Not that it would help but you can talk to Hades.” 

“Fine. Where can I find this Hades?” 

Wonwoo turned and pointed ahead. Jeonghan hadn’t realize that the boat had stopped and infront of him was just a pitch black path. 

“Just walk straight and if you dare, open the door.” 

Jeonghan climbed out of the boat, “What do you mean by if I dare? What is-” Jeonghan turned around and Wonwoo was gone, together with the boat. Even the river was gone and Jeonghan was left standing in the middle of nowhere. 

Instead of being scared or worried, Jeonghan was more pissed off and determined. Turning around, he marched ahead, his anger rising with every step as he thought of what to say to Hades to force him to let Jeonghan go home to his son. 

When he reached the door, he didn’t even think twice about pushing it open, marching straight into someone’s back or rather, someone’s wings. The man with wings, turned and stared at Jeonghan at disbelief. 

“What is a human doing in hell?” 

Strangely, Jeonghan felt affronted, “What, is it only reserved for those with feathered wings? And, might I add, broken ones too?” 

The man flushed even as he snorted, “I’m this lifetime’s Icarus, you idiot. I didn’t want to be assigned this role and die like this, you know.” 

“I don’t really care who you are,” Jeonghan deadpanned, “unless you’re Hades and can get me out of this hellhole.” 

Icarus pouted, “Rude. And regardless, I’m Jisoo and you better remember that seeing that we’re both gonna be stuck here for some time.” 

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, “Still not interested to know who you are and I’m going to leave here as soon as I can talk to this Hades guy,” Jeonghan looked around the vacant room, “Where the hell is he anyway?” 

Icarus, Jisoo, pointed at a random door, that like everything else since Jeonghan landed in this place, appears out of nowhere. 

“He’s hiding with the Fates.” 

Jeonghan’s brows raised in confusion but he didn’t question as he walked towards the door, reaching for the handle. He pulled and it opened slightly before it slammed shut, as though someone on the other side was trying to keep the door closed. 

Before Jeonghan could pull on the handle again, he heard someone, three someone’s actually. 

“You know.” 

“This is useless.” 

“You can’t hide here.” 

“Forever. And it’s not fair that I say two words while you two-” 

“Seriously, you’re gonna argue about this when we have-” 

“You two shut up! He can hear us on the other side!” 

While the conversation was confusing, it was obvious that someone knew he was coming and trying to avoid him. And that someone was most probably Hades. And if this Hades already dread his appearance, maybe convincing him to let Jeonghan go back won’t be that hard after all. 

With that in mind, Jeonghan cleared his throat. 

“Look, erm, Mr Hades? I know you’re in there and you probably know who I am. So to make things easier, why don’t you just send me back and we can all pretend that none of this happened?” 

Jeonghan’s statement was greeted with silence and he knocked at the door. 

“Hello? Don’t pretend that you’re not in there when it’s already so obvious there are four people in there.” 

When silence was all that answered him, except for Jisoo’s snickering in the background, Jeonghan lost his patience. He silently counted till three before slamming into the door with his entire body weight. The sudden move caused Hades to be caught unaware as he fell backwards, the door busting open. 

Jeonghan’s triumphant smile froze at the sight before him. 

He didn’t even notice the three men in the background of which two had no lips. His stare was fixed on the man sitting on the floor. 

Sure, Jeonghan had cursed him repeatedly since he had gone missing but he hadn’t expect to really see him in Hell. 

“Hey baby,” Hades, also known as Seungcheol, his missing husband of 15 years, waved awkwardly from his position on the floor. 

“How have you been?”


	3. Fates

When Seungcheol accepted his lifetime role as Hades, he knew what he was in for. 

He knew that he was going to miss out on all of the milestones in Hansol’s life. 

He knew that he was going to abandon his responsibilities as a son, a father and a husband. 

He knew that Jeonghan was going to hate him and most probably curse him daily to hell which, oh the irony, was really where he had gone to. 

He knew that he was never going to see all of the people he loved until they breathed their last and it wretched him. 

He knew all of this and yet he accepted his role because the alternative was worst. So, he hardened his heart and kissed Jeonghan goodbye (though his husband had not realized it then) one morning 15 years ago and left for the underworld and stayed there, miserable, lonely and resigned to his role. 

Until one day, in the middle of listening to Jisoo, this lifetime’s Icarus, tale, the Fates told him that Jeonghan was going to die and will be in hell soon. 

A tsunami of feelings washed over Seungcheol. Joy at seeing the love of his life again, sadness at his love dying so young, anger at Zeus for not keeping his word, worry for what would happen to Hansol who would be left with no parents and the list just goes on. 

So caught up in his emotions, he belatedly realized that Jeonghan might not be so happy to see his MIA husband after all this time so he panicked. He got up in the middle of Jisoo’s complaint, politely excused himself and locked himself in the same room as the Fates. 

Which was probably the worst thing he could have done, a close second to leaving his family. 

The Fates were three men, Seungkwan, Soonyoung and Seokmin who were by all standards, really nice people. Except that they were loud and talk a lot. And by a lot, Seungcheol means that they were rarely silent. For three people who shared one mouth, it was amazing how much they could bicker between themselves and with everybody within earshot. 

And that “everybody” was usually Seungcheol as the Fates would update him about the changes in the time and any other gossip that they wished to “bless” him with. So, maybe being with the Fates was not so bad because they gave him a little reprieve from his Hades duties, hearing dead souls’ grievances and being the judge and jury on whether they should go to the Asphodel Meadows, Mourning Fields or Elysium. 

However, willingly trapping himself in a room with the Fates telling him to man up and not escape his fate was torture. Their grating voices were worst than the Asphodel Meadows and Mourning Fields combined and he knew because he had been to both as part of the orientation program for his role as Hades. And he couldn't even tell them to shut up because then they would pout and rant about sharing one mouth and not able to say their fill and.. well, you get the picture. 

But when he saw the door to his self-imposed prison slightly open, he panicked again. He yanked the handle towards him, slamming the door shut and he made the mistake of shushing the Fates with a finger to his lips. 

Obviously, the Fates wouldn’t listen as they yammered on and Seungcheol resisted banging his head on the wooden door. Then he heard his love’s voice and he so wanted to open the door as his eyes started to sting. Even his love’s sarcastic and annoyed tone was music to his ears. 

And then there was nothing. Seungcheol put his ear to the door and listened closely. Had Jeonghan walked away defeated? That can’t be. Jeonghan would rather die (haha, not funny) than give up and while trying to hear what Jeonghan was up to, Seungcheol’s grip on the handle loosened. 

The next thing he knew, the door was being busted open and Seungcheol fell to the ground, his butt hitting the floor. And right in front of him, was the love of his life, his husband who he had not seen for 15 years, staring at him, mouth comically open. 

There was so much Seungcheol wanted to say. How sorry he was to have left them. How much he missed them. How much he loves Jeonghan and how he prayed that Jeonghan wouldn’t hate him. Instead, his lips formed a lame, “Hey baby, how have you been?” 

Before Seungcheol could face palm at his feeble attempt of making conversation with the love of his life, Jeonghan reached forward and pull the door close, slamming it shut again. 

"Well-” 

“That was unexpected.” 

Seungcheol ignored the Fates and wasn’t even surprised that Seungkwan, the most vocal of the three had not made a comment. 

He stood up and went to the door, pulling on the handle. No surprise, it wouldn’t budge. 

“Jeonghan?” 

“Shut up,” Jeonghan hissed from the other side of the door. 

“You don’t get the opportunity to speak. Not after what you did. I don’t want to hear anything from you. Not now. Not ever. You understand?” 

Seungcheol nodded, even though Jeonghan couldn’t see his response. 

“Answer me!” was the screech that made all four of them in the room jump. 

“Yes,” Seungcheol should be ashamed of the meek squeak that left his lips, being the lord of the underworld but this was Jeonghan and hell hath no fury like Jeonghan scorned. 

There was a beat of silence before Jeonghan spoke again. 

“Can you send me back?” 

Seungcheol’s heart broke as he shook his head, a low apologetic “no” leaving his lips. 

“Do you know anyone who could send me back?” 

Technically yes but that person was not an option so Seungcheol half-lied, “No.” 

“You know-” 

“That is not-” 

“Really true. He could-” 

Seungcheol silenced the Fates with a glare and while it surprisingly worked, Jeonghan had unfortunately heard them. 

“Did the three guys behind you just outed your lie, CHOI SEUNGCHEOL?!” Jeonghan practically screamed Seungcheol’s name and he cringed and whined. 

There was a pause of silence before Jeonghan spoke again, this time not as high pitched but the simmering anger was still there. 

“I’m going to open the door and those three are gonna come out. You stay in there and I don’t even want to see your face.” 

The statement hurt but Seungcheol was also not a fool, so he moved away from the door to make way for the Fates, who seemed to changed their mind. 

“Maye it’s-” 

“Not such a good-” 

“Idea. I mean really, what-” 

“Good can from-” 

“Talking to us?” 

“Also-” 

The Fates rambling was stopped by Jeonghan’s warning voice, “You three better be standing by the door when I open it otherwise..” and Seungcheol could see three adams apple bobbing in fear. 

The door opened again and Seungcheol could see that Jeonghan was looking away from the room, not even wanting to accidentally see Seungcheol. So when the Fates exited the room, he pulled the handle towards him, willingly let loneliness encompass him. 

… 

It was very disconcerting. See three men fight over one mouth and still managing to talk at the speed of a fired bullet. Add that to the shock of seeing his missing husband again and trying to prevent himself from having a melting, Jeonghan had to shut his eyes to avoid sensory overload. 

“-so if you really-” 

“want to get-” 

“to the root of things-” 

“you should see Zeus, but-” 

“if you want to live-” 

“it’ll be better not to-” 

“see Zeus because-” 

“hello? This is Zeus, we are talking about and-” 

Jeonghan held up a hand before he opened his eyes to see Soonyoung trying to grab his mouth from Seungkwan. Nope, still very weird indeed. 

“Ok, thank you very much for your self-introductions and explaining everything. I’ve heard what I need to hear so all you need to tell me next is where is Zeus and how do I get there.” 

The three Fates shared a look but unlike before, none were eager to say anything. Soonyoung had stopped trying to take the mouth and put his hands behind his back while Dokeyom looked away when Seungkwan offered the mouth to him. 

Seungkwan reluctantly put the mouth to his face and looked sincerely apologetic. 

“We can’t tell you. We want to. But we can’t. You’re scary but Zeus is on another level-” 

Soonyoung grabbed the mouth off Seungkwan’s face and stuck it to his own. 

“And we don’t really want to have another lifetime as the Fates. You can see that it really sucks having to share one mouth.” 

Dokyeom held his hand out to Soonyoung who placed the mouth in his palm. 

“So we are really sorry,” Dokeyom apologized before peeling the mouth off his face and handing it back to Seungkwan who just held it in his palm. 

Jeonghan felt like screaming. On one hand, he does feel sorry for the three men who had to share one mouth for their lifetime, a word that he kept hearing but have did not make sense to him. 

But on the other, great, his only lead had to chose this critical moment to shut up. And speaking of shutting up, there was one person who knew and maybe... 

Jeonghan’s voice lowered to a whisper as he moved closer to the Fates, pointing at the door. 

“Does he know?” 

Jeonghan quickly puts a hand to Seungkwan’s fist which held the mouth. 

“Just nod or shake your head.” 

The three men all nodded. 

“So can he tell me?” 

They nodded again, in unison. 

“But he won’t.” 

Again, three heads bobbed up and down. 

Jeonghan was about to let go of Seungkwan’s hand until he remembers something. 

“And he won’t have to suffer as Hades for another lifetime if he tells me right?” 

The three shared a look before they all shook their head. 

With a strange sense of relief, Jeonghan lets go Seungkwan’s hand and goes to the door that Seungcheol was locked behind. 

Before he could reach for the handle, Seungkwan warned. 

“But he would never-” 

Jeonghan puts a finger up, stopping whatever Seungkwan was going to say next. 

“Nope, not another word out of the three of you. Now leave. You too, Jisoo. Enough eavesdropping already.” 

Jeonghan ignored Jisoo's yell of "I'm in the room. Not my problem that you guys are talking in the same room that I'm in!" and lets out a deep breath, as though bracing himself for impact.

“I need to talk to my husband.”


	4. Hermes

Seungcheol smiled as he listened to Jeonghan interrogating the Fates. 

All these years have not changed his husband one bit. Jeonghan may look all soft and sweet outside but get on Jeonghan’s wrong side and you wouldn’t even know what hit you. Jeonghan knew just how to get people to listen and when to blend in the background. He could be assertive yet not overbearing and if his husband just sets his mind to it, he could have been a lawyer like Seungcheol, an even better one too. Instead, Jeonghan skipped the bar exam and decided to apply for a graphic designer job simply because he enjoys the flexibility of the job. And lo and behold, the man got the job despite knowing zip about graphic design just a day before the interview – he learnt everything via Youtube on his way to the interview. 

“I need to talk to my husband.” 

That statement brought Seungcheol out of his musings and it made him both apprehensive and delighted. 

Seungcheol always breaks a sweat when Jeonghan starts a conversation with “I need to talk to you.” 

Granted, most of the time, they weren’t that bad. Like when he announced that he was going to skip the bar exam and be a graphic designer instead. Or when he announced that he was ready to get married and Seungcheol better propose. The last time he heard that was about adopting a child and of course, Seungcheol had his reservations but when they saw Hansol in the hospital bassinet, moments after he was brought into the world, Seungcheol knew that Jeonghan was right to push for adoption. 

Still, whenever Jeonghan starts that line, Seungcheol would find himself not breathing for a few seconds. 

Then there was the “husband” part. Sure, Jeonghan uses the term both when he’s angry as well as when he’s flirty, an odd endearment of sorts, one that Jeonghan only uses when they are alone. 

Seungcheol was hearted to hear that Jeonghan still regards him as his spouse; he was sure that Jeonghan would file for divorce on grounds of abandonment but 15 years had passed and Seungcheol was still Jeonghan’s husband and he could not be more grateful. 

The door opened and Jeonghan entered, closing the door behind him. 

His husband looked at the floor for a few seconds before their eyes met. 

“It could have been better.” 

Seungcheol was confused, “huh?” 

Jeonghan gave a wry laugh, “Your question earlier? How have I been?” he sighed with a shrug of his shoulders, “it could have been better.” 

Oh. Seungcheol nodded dumbly, a little taken aback, “And Hansol?” 

Jeonghan smiled and Seungcheol could see the pride Jeonghan had in their son. 

“Handsome, tall and talented. And oh-so honest and caring. That boy will get his heart broken so many times,” then Jeonghan’s expression hardened, “I will kill anyone who hurts him.” 

Seungcheol nodded in agreement. He had no doubt about that, he too would hunt down anyone who breaks his son’s heart. 

“My parents?” 

“Ok I guess. I see them during the holidays and of course, Hansol’s birthday. They are very generous; they opened an account to pay for Hansol’s education.” 

Seungcheol nodded, a twinge of guilt bubbling in his stomach. He knew that Jeonghan’s salary was not enough to raise a child and he hadn’t thought about making arrangements to help Jeonghan in that aspect before he left for the underworld. 

“Although..” Jeonghan trailed off, a frown on his lips. 

“Although?” Seungcheol prompted. 

Jeonghan sighed, “I’m being petty,” he shook his head with a self-deprecating smile before he shrugged, “but they could have at least talked to me about it first.” 

Seungcheol’s brows lifted as he waited for Jeonghan to continue. 

Another sigh, “They gave Hansol your guitar.” 

“Oh.” He knew his parents wanted to give Hansol a bit of Seungcheol to remember but it had to be hard for Jeonghan to see his son with his missing husband’s guitar. 

“I’m sorry-” to which Jeonghan quickly shook his head, waving away the apology. 

“Don’t worry about it. He’s really good at it though, so I guess it worked out, somehow I guess..” Jeonghan trailed off, eyes going back to the floor again. 

Seungcheol wanted so much to hug Jeonghan, apologize, reassure, anything. Anything was better than him just standing there, watching his husband be miserable. 

There was a sniff before Jeonghan looked up and Seungcheol’s heart broke at the sight of his husband’s watery eyes. 

“It’s just that,” Jeonghan sniffed, harshly wiping away a tear that escaped, “I thought I had more time with him, you know? I was with him since he was a baby and sure, he’s 15 but he will forever be my baby,” and the tears just fell in torrents. 

“I know you can’t tell me where Zeus is, and its ok, you have your difficulties. But my poor Hansol. I miss my baby so much!” Jeonghan wailed and that was what made Seungcheol pause. 

He didn’t spend so much time with Jeonghan to not notice how Jeonghan would subtly manipulate him with guilt to get his way. He had witnessed times when Jeonghan would cry from frustration or anger but there were more door slamming and prolonged periods of silence rather than full out wailing. Wailing was Jeonghan's tell - trying to guilt-trip Seungcheol into doing something. Most of the time, Seungcheol went along with it simply because he couldn’t stand Jeonghan crying, whether fake or not. 

This time, maybe he could use it to his advantage. 

Seungcheol reached out to pull Jeonghan in his arms, patting his back with one hand while the other stroked his hair. 

“I know, baby. I’m so sorry I can’t help you with Zeus,” he lamented and as suspected, he felt Jeonghan stiffened in his arms. While knowing that his husband didn’t want to be in his arms didn’t feel good, confirming that his husband was acting earlier did. 

“Why can’t you do something?” Jeonghan wailed, hiding his face in Seungcheol’s chest. 

“Well,” Seungcheol pretended to think, “he’s not here. We need to travel to Olympus-” 

“Ok!” Jeonghan pushed away from Seungcheol, “let’s go to Olympus now!” 

Seungcheol suppressed the grin at his husband’s blatant eagerness. 

“You didn’t let me finish. I was saying that we need to travel to Olympus, make an appointment to see him and in maybe a lifetime or two, the request will get processed and he can decide if he wants to see you or not.” 

Jeonghan threw up his hands in frustration, “I don’t have a lifetime or two! I need to see him now! I need to see Zeus!” 

“Well I could pass a message to him if you want.” 

Both Jeonghan and Seungcheol turned to the speaker who had appeared out of nowhere. 

Jeonghan grabbed the man’s hands, “You can?” 

The man nodded, his grin showing off two sharp canines contrasting against two charming dimples, “Sure, that’s my job you know, as this lifetime’s Hermes. Name’s-” 

“Mingyu,” Seungcheol gritted pass clenched teeth, “what are you doing here?” 

Mingyu’s grin remained unfazed despite Seungcheol’s threatening tone, “I wouldn’t be here if you reply to his messages. He told me to tell you to read his messages.” 

Seungcheol snarled as he snapped his fingers and a mobile phone appeared in his hand. Unlocking the phone, Seungcheol rolled his eyes at the numerous messages from the same person on the device. He was about to reply to one of the texts, when the phone was yanked out of his grip. He looked up and Jeonghan was furiously scrolling through his phone, most probably looking for Zeus’ contact. 

A snap of his fingers and Jeonghan was holding air. His husband glared at him murderously. 

“Give me back the phone,” Jeonghan snarled threateningly. 

“Sorry babe, that is for business use only.” 

Jeonghan grabbed a fistful of Seungcheol’s robe and yanked him forward. 

“Well, it is your business that I get out of here and back to my son. Or do you not even care that Hansol now has no parents?” 

Seungcheol’s expression hardened, “You know that is not true.” 

“Is it?” Jeonghan challenged even as he let go of Seungcheol’s clothes, “because if you cared, you wouldn’t have left. If you cared, you would say something and we can work it out. If you-” and this time, real tears left Jeonghan’s eyes as he glared at Seungcheol coldly before looking away. 

“Whatever,” his husband muttered as he wiped his tears with his sleeve, “I managed without you for 15 years and I bloody well don’t need your help to make my way home.” 

“You,” Jeonghan pointed at Mingyu, “will pass a message to Zeus for me. Tell him that Yoon Jeonghan wants to talk to him urgently. And I will not take no for an answer.” 

Mingyu nodded before his eyes widen, an idea forming in his head. 

“Actually I can take you to Olympus. But..” 

“But what?” Jeonghan asked impatiently. 

“But you will have to wait till next lifetime. I still have a lot of messages to pass and I can only help you after I’m done otherwise I’m kind of doomed to be Hermes the next lifetime as well,” Mingyu mumbled before bowing lowly. 

“I’m really sorry!” and then he straightened, “but he can bring you there,” Mingyu smiled brightly as he pointed at Seungcheol. 

“Zeus is waiting for him anyway so the two of you could go together. But you’ll have to go through the Horae alone though. They only let the gods through, mortals have to go through some trials.” 

A corner of Jeonghan’s lips twitch in annoyance, “Of course, there is some bloody trial I have to go through.” 

“Also, isn’t there someone else that can take me there? Or just point me in the direction and I’ll make my way there alone.” 

Mingyu surveyed Jeonghan with a tilt of his head, “You won’t make it without a god; you may get lost in the forest and then there’s also an ocean you need to cross.” 

“But then..” Mingyu trailed off, leaning in so close that Jeonghan almost backed up in response. Instead, he steeled his back and stared at Mingyu, unwilling to back up. 

“But?” Jeonghan prompted. 

Mingyu straightened, smiling wide, “If it’s you, I’m sure you won’t have any problems.” 

Jeonghan was surprised at the vote of confidence from Mingyu and for the first time since he landed in this place, he found hope; hope that he could make his way back to Hansol. His earlier demeanor soften as he whispered, “Thank you,” grateful that at least one person in this god-forsaken place believes in him. 

Just as he was about to ask Mingyu more, he was suddenly tugged backwards and collided into something. A glance back and Seungcheol was there, his expression murderous. 

But, what Jeonghan noticed first was that Seungcheol’s chest was not as warm as he remembered and he kinda missed that.. until he realized his train of thought and quickly shook his head, pushing away from Seungcheol with a hiss. 

“No way are you going to make that journey without me. I’m going with you, whether you want to or not,” Seungcheol gritted out, his tone giving no room for arguments. 

Jeonghan suppressed a shiver at that tone as he turned away from his husband. 

“Whatever, we’re just going in the same direction and that’s it,” and he was about to walk out of the place when he realized that he needed Seungcheol to lead the way. 

Putting on a sarcastic smile, Jeonghan bowed slightly and gestured for Seungcheol to go ahead. 

Seungcheol raised a brow, a ghost of a smile on his lips, but walked ahead. Before Jeonghan followed, he grabbed Mingyu’s hand, making the Hermes’ cheeks pink from the sudden action. 

“Really, thank you. I almost thought that I’m gonna be stuck here.” 

Mingyu blinked, “But you were supposed to-“ the rest of Mingyu’s words died when Seungcheol grabbed Jeonghan’s wrist and pulled him close. 

“You were supposed to follow, baby,” Seungcheol snarled, eyes focused on Jeonghan, “Or do you not want to get back to our son?” 

Being so close to Seungcheol, Jeonghan could see his irises and the flecks of gold were still there, so mesmerizing and intoxicating that Jeonghan used to be able to stare at him forever. And he would have if he had not heard the words, “our son”. A surge of anger and resentment overtook Jeonghan and he pushed Seungcheol away. 

“I,” Jeonghan snapped, “was the one who held him when he cried. I was the one gave him kisses every day until one day, he limited me to only one goodnight kiss instead. I was the one who had to explain why he only has one parent. I was the one who comforted him, looked after him and cared for him, to make sure that he never lacked anything, that he was loved twice as much as any kid with two parents.” 

“You,” Jeonghan sneered coldly, “are only his father because you paid the adoption fees,” and with that, he stalked out of the room, leaving Seungcheol rooted to the spot. 

“You don’t-“ 

“Deserve that.” 

“Not after all that you have done for him and Hansol.” 

Seungcheol gave a sad but grateful smile to the Fates but said nothing. He was about to go and find Jeonghan when a voice spoke up. 

“Erm,” Jisoo lifted his hand up cautiously, “not to sound uncaring but, erm, you know, what about my case?” 

Seungcheol surveyed Jisoo for a moment before nodding, “Elysium,” with a snap of his fingers, a door appeared in front of Jisoo, probably leading to the aforementioned place. 

“Thank you! And, erm, hope that it works out between you and your husband.” 

A sigh escaped Seungcheol’s lips as he watched Jisoo open the door, “I hope so too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So remaining characters are Zeus and the Horae... I wanted to use (X) as Zeus but thought it might be too obvious.. but then (X) has to be Zeus. What do you think?


	5. Hades

Jeonghan sat on a rock in the middle of nowhere, head in his hands, feeling absolutely wretched. 

What he said was wrong. Not that it was incorrect, but still it was wrong. 

Jeonghan was not stupid; from what he heard so far, no one wanted to be assigned their fates. Seungcheol was probably forced to accept his fate as Hades and had no choice but to leave his family. However, knowing that fact does not lessen the resentment and frustration that Jeonghan felt for 15 years. How Jeonghan used to go on his knees in the middle of the night, after Hansol was asleep, eyes to the sky, pleading for some deity out there to bring Seungcheol back to him. How he had doubted and blamed himself for somehow driving Seungcheol away. 

How Jeonghan had to make sure that his eyes were not puffy or red in the morning to avoid Hansol’s questioning gaze. How he had to put on a smile and be there for Hansol when all he wanted to do was bury himself under the covers and ignore the world. 

Jeonghan sighed as he cursed himself, “You’re so stupid Yoon Jeonghan. You tell your son not to hate his missing father and here you are, practically calling him-” 

“You told Hansol not to hate me?” 

Jeonghan flinched slightly at the voice and he didn’t need to look up to know that Seungcheol was standing just next to him. 

With a sigh, he let his hands drop and balanced them on his knees. 

“Don’t be too happy. I told Hansol to never be mean. That there has to be a reason why people act the way they do. I know you, Seungcheol. You would never leave unless you had to.” 

He continued after another sigh, “That said, it is hard to undo 15 years of hurt. So, I’m sorry, that was mean. I shouldn’t have said that.” 

“Don’t be. You were right-“ 

“But that doesn’t make it ok. Just accept the apology, Seungcheol. So that I can move on.” 

Jeonghan’s voice dropped to a whisper, as though he was speaking to himself, “I just want to go back to my son.” 

But Seungcheol heard and his heart felt immensely heavy. 

“You do know that seeing Zeus doesn’t necessary mean that he will let you go right?” 

Jeonghan nodded, looking into the darkness, “It also doesn’t mean he won’t. I have to at least try.” 

Seungcheol didn’t know what to say to that so he started walking ahead. Without turning around, he pointed ahead, “The forest is that way. There are many beasts in the forest so stay close to me. They won’t dare to come close to Hades.” 

… 

Compared to the river he crossed with Wonwoo, the forest was extremely noisy even though, in normal circumstances, the sound probably wasn’t as deafening as it currently felt to Jeonghan. But this was no normal circumstance and Jeonghan was already feeling very overwhelmed. 

As he trailed behind Seungcheol, Jeonghan was acutely aware of the grass under his bare feet. There was no cool crunch but rather a dead squish, as though it was rotting or already rotten. There was also the eerie buzz of some insects in the background followed by the occasional screech, howl or scream. Jeonghan was never afraid of horror flicks and could fall asleep to the Nightmare on Elm Street series. But here, where he was barely able to see Seungcheol’s silhouette and relying more on the sounds of Seungcheol’s footsteps, Jeonghan’s senses were on overdrive and he was jumping at every screech, howl or scream. 

Unable to help himself, he reached forward and grabbed a handful of Seungcheol’s robe, which was actually nearer than he thought so when Seungcheol stopped from the movement, Jeonghan’s face met Seungcheol’s broad back. He immediately took a few steps backwards but did not let go of the fabric. He probably looked like a child gripping onto an adult’s clothes for fear of getting lost but Jeonghan didn’t care. He was tired, hungry and scared out of his mind. Also, do ghosts get tired, hungry or scared? Was he even considered a ghost? 

“Sorry,” Jeonghan muttered, still gripping onto Seungcheol’s robe. 

“It’s ok,” a pause, “do you want to take my hand instead?” 

Jeonghan’s first reaction was a firm, “no!” but on second thought, holding Seungcheol’s hand always reassured Jeonghan. But then.. 

“It doesn’t mean anything, Jeonghan,” Seungcheol’s voice was gentle, as though talking to a skittish kitten, “I just don’t want you to get lost and it can take forever to get out of here if we get separated.” 

And just then, a scream sliced through the air and Jeonghan jumped, unable to hide the whimper of fear that escaped his lips. 

“Jeonghan, take my hand. Please.” 

Seungcheol's plea wasn't necessary as Jeonghan was already about to agree before the scream happened. Jeonghan whimpered a pathetic “Ok” and Seungcheol immediately took Jeonghan’s hand as Jeonghan let go of the fabric. Their fingers intertwined automatically and Jeonghan was sure that he was gripping Seungcheol’s hand as hard as Seungcheol was gripping his. 

“Let’s go,” Seungcheol urged, “the dock is just up ahead. We’ll be out of here soon.” 

The walk didn’t feel as short as Seungcheol said, infact, it was noticeably longer but somehow, with their hands connected, it didn’t feel as bad. While Jeonghan still hated the squish beneath his feet and jumped at the screams and screeches, Seungcheol was there to soothe him, encouraging him along and even humming softly so that Jeonghan could concentrate on that instead. 

When they reached the dock, Jeonghan almost hated to let go but he did, not before he muttered a grateful “thank you” as he looked into Seungcheol’s eyes. Unlike the forest which barely had any light, the dock and everything around it was painted in shades of blue, purple and orange from the setting sun in the horizon. Jeonghan had no idea how time worked in this place and really, he didn’t care. 

His battery was almost flat and he was sure to fall asleep any moment. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping that it would give him a little reprieve from his sleepiness. A loud snap made him jerk back to consciousness and he was sure that he was dreaming because infront of him was a bed. More importantly, Jeonghan was no longer in that white bedsheet-like tunic but rather a very comfortable pajamas set complete with fluffy slippers at his feet. 

Sitting on the bed, he eyed Seungcheol in suspicion who smiled gently in return. 

“This area, between the sea and the forest, is Hades territory so I can easily use my powers. Thought you might want to nap while we wait for Wonwoo to come by.” 

Jeonghan yawned and laid on the bed, his brain too muddled from exhaustion to question Seungcheol about the bed. But, not too tired to question him about Charon. 

“Can’t you summon him or something?” Jeonghan mumbled, already half-asleep. 

There was a chuckle, “Wonwoo is harder to wake than you. Just close your eyes for a bit and afterwards, I’ll get you some food.” 

At the mention of food, Jeonghan’s stomach growled and Seungcheol grinned. 

“Or would you like to eat now?” 

Jeonghan nodded, eyes still closed. He begrudgingly sat up and opened his eyes, just in time to see Seungcheol snap his fingers again and a bed tray, laden with his favorite food on it. 

The food looked absolutely delicious and Jeonghan was torn between eating and sleeping. It was ridiculous, but it had been a ridiculous day. Or night.

So he sat there, just staring at the food, saliva gathering in his mouth but too lazy and tired to move a muscle. 

Jeonghan had closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened it next, infront of him was a spoonful of soup, the utensil held by Seungcheol. Seungcheol didn’t even have to say anything for Jeonghan to open his mouth so that Seungcheol could direct the spoon into his mouth. Jeonghan closed his mouth around the spoon and the rich beef broth warmed his stomach. The spoon was removed from his mouth and then it was back to his lips again. This time with a bit of meat and rice in addition to the soup. 

Again, Jeonghan automatically opened his mouth so that Seungcheol could deposit the contents into his mouth. Jeonghan chewed, eyes closed, like a child battling sleep in the middle of a meal. 

“Remember to swallow, baby,” Seungcheol’s amused yet gentle reminder was not lost on Jeonghan as the man did as told before opening up his mouth again. 

This was repeated a few times until Jeonghan shook his head, fatigue pulling him under now that his hunger was somewhat satiated. Jeonghan plopped on the bed, curling onto his side and purring when a blanket was pulled to his neck. 

A soft, “Rest well, baby,” was the last thing Jeonghan heard before he gave in to unconsciousness. 

… 

When Jeonghan woke up, the lack of ambient sound had he guessing that it was probably still early and the office didn’t need his designs until noon. He kept his eyes closed, his mind lazily shifting through his agenda for the day – designs due at noon, drop guitar at music shop and later meet Hansol at the café. Then the image of a car coming right towards him had him jerking awake, eyes popping open. 

And infront of him was Seungcheol, eyes worried and expression pinched. 

“You ok?” 

Jeonghan nodded, automatically pulling Seungcheol in a hug, offering both his husband and himself assurance. 

Until he realized that he was dead, met his missing husband in the underworld and the man was supposed to guide him to Zeus so that he could return home. 

Jeonghan immediately pulled away with a mutter of “sorry,” scrambling to a sitting position and avoiding Seungcheol’s eyes. 

He heard Seungcheol’s soft, “It’s ok,” and Jeonghan was sure that the tone had a touch of hurt. 

“Erm,” Jeonghan began, “so, can we go now?” 

“Do you want some food first?” 

Jeonghan shook his head, not really feeling up to eating, especially when he knew that Seungcheol would be watching him eat. Like he had last night, when he fed Jeonghan. And Jeonghan flushed even as he blamed his behavior on fatigue and also, he didn’t really ask Seungcheol to feed him. The man just did and it would have been rude for Jeonghan to reject him, right? The excuse was feeble at best but it was also in the past and rather than bring that up, Jeonghan decided to focus on something else instead. 

“Did you eat? Or sleep?” 

The Hades shook his head, “Taking on this fate means being immortal and not having the need to eat, sleep or anything else that mortals do to live.” 

Jeonghan nodded in acknowledgement, swinging his legs over the bed and was about to get up until he remembered his attire. 

“Erm,” Jeonghan pinched the hem of his pajamas top, “could I have some pants and a shirt? Sneakers too.” 

“Sure,” and Jeonghan knew that there was a smile on Seungcheol’s lips accompanying the mirth in his tone but he ignored that when after a snap of Seungcheol’s fingers, Jeonghan was wearing a white t-shirt, a pair of pink track pants and white sneakers. 

Jeonghan could not hide the smile as he admired his attire; Seungcheol still remembers his outfit of choice. He looked up and realized that Seungcheol had changed as well. 

A black denim jacket was over his baby blue long-sleeved shirt, the top two buttons undone, that was tucked into a pair of ripped black jeans. The look was completed with a pair of black combat boots. 

And maybe, Seungcheol also remembered what Jeonghan’s favorite outfit on his husband was too. 

Tearing his gaze away, Jeonghan got out of bed and looked in the direction of the dock which was choked with mist. The sky was still stubbornly black but surprisingly, Jeonghan could see quite clearly. 

“Is the boatman going to bring us across? The Wonwon guy?” 

Seungcheol chuckled, “Wonwoo,” he corrected and he led the way to the dock, Jeonghan following close behind. At the dock, Seungcheol tapped his feet twice and the mist seemed to part and behind it, revealed Wonwoo in his boat. 

Wonwoo nodded to Seungcheol who returned it, before turning around to Jeonghan and gesturing for him to board the boat. Seungcheol stepped into the boat and held out a hand to Jeonghan, who automatically took it before he realized it. 

He muttered a quick “thank you” as he pulled his hand away but his shyness slipped away when he realized the Wonwoo was no longer on the boat but standing at the dock. 

“Wait, you’re not going with us?” Jeonghan had counted on the boatman being there for the journey across the sea. He had unconsciously (and maybe sometimes consciously) gotten closer to Seungcheol since their reunion and he needed to keep his distance. Seungcheol was going to stay in the underworld and Jeonghan was going home so there was no reason for him to go through the heartache again. He needed to concentrate on his end goal, to be there for his son. 

Not to revive his relationship with his husband. 

And without Wonwoo, Jeonghan was afraid that he might be closer to the latter than the former instead. 

The boatman just smiled enigmatically and shrugged his shoulders. 

Jeonghan frowned, turning to Seungcheol in time to see the man snap his fingers and the boat was set in motion, moving towards another unseen destination. 

“Wait. You didn’t need Wonwoo afterall? We could have been there already!” Jeonghan complained exasperatedly, forgetting that he was barely able to stand and needed Seungcheol to feed him. 

A corner of Seungcheol’s lips lifted, “I do need Wonwoo. I need his boat. Also, Wonwoo can’t go to Olympus. Only major gods can. And the Fates, of course. They can go anywhere.” 

Jeonghan sighed, “Fine, so how long does it take to get there?” 

Seungcheol shrugged as he sat down opposite Jeonghan, “I don’t know. We’ll get there when we get there.” 

Jeonghan was about a hair away from erupting when Seungcheol raised his hands in mock-surrender, “I can’t control the boat. Yes,” he added when it looked like Jeonghan was about to interrupt, “I can tell the boat where to go but I can’t dictate the speed. So,” he spread his hands, “we’ll get there when we get there.” 

Jeonghan snorted, great, he thought. Now he was stuck facing Seungcheol for the entirety of this boat ride, however long this is. Jeonghan looked away from Seungcheol, but he was essentially looking at nothing which got boring really fast, and he had to turn back to Seungcheol. 

And of course, Seungcheol had been looking at him all this while. Jeonghan looked at the floor of the board, the wood grain looking extremely interesting at the moment. 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

Jeonghan huffed, a small smile on his lips, “You already did. But sure, go ahead, not that I can escape.” 

“You can refuse, you know? I won’t press,” and Jeonghan could hear the pout in Seungcheol’s voice. 

“Just go ahead, ‘Cheol,” the nickname easily slipping past Jeonghan’s lips. 

There was silence and Jeonghan almost lifted his head to see what Seungcheol was doing until he heard Seungcheol’s voice. 

“Why didn’t you get a divorce?” 

Jeonghan stiffened a little before he forced himself to relax and faked a casual shrug. 

“Never thought about it.” 

“Really,” Seungcheol’s tone was careful, almost cautious, “Regardless, thank you.” 

Jeonghan snorted, “Don’t be. It doesn’t mean anything,” and somehow he felt the need to elaborate, “I mean, raising a child takes up a lot of time. I don’t think I’ve ever had a proper night’s sleep.” 

“So, no dating?” 

“What’s that?” Jeonghan asked sarcastically, “I already have enough on my plate between Hansol and work. Besides, Hansol needs stability. Not someone who will just up and leave him one day.” 

Jeonghan realizes the slip only after he said it. 

He finally looked up and it was Seungcheol’s turn to stare at the floor. 

“Sorry. I don’t mean it that way,” Jeonghan sighed, “I mean in general. Hansol needs stability and so do I. And the only way I can give him that is being by myself for the time being. Until he doesn’t need me, I guess.” 

Seungcheol looked up and shook his head, “He will always need you.” 

Jeonghan snorted, “I know my baby. He’s already limiting me to one kiss a day, and only a good night kiss. Give him a few more years and I’ll be relegated to a hug instead.” 

Jeonghan’s expression softened, “But he’s a good boy. He’s the only bright spot in my life now so I probably won’t mind just a hug. Eventually.” 

“Anyway, it’s my turn to ask the awkward questions,” Jeonghan declared before quietly asking, “Why didn’t you tell me that you were leaving?” 

Jeonghan could see Seungcheol’s adam’s apple bob nervously. 

“I was a coward. If I told you, I wouldn’t want to leave more. So I thought if I just do it, like ripping a bandaid, it would be better.” 

He smiled self-deprecatingly, “It wasn’t better.” 

“Was there really no other way?” 

Seungcheol shook his head, “I’m sorry. I had to accept my fate. It was the only way.” 

Jeonghan sat back, his thoughts heavy enough for him to shake his head, as though that motion will lightened his thoughts. 

“Tell me about Zeus,” Jeonghan changed the subject, “Why is everyone so afraid of him?” 

“He’s the god of gods,” Seungcheol said simply and Jeonghan rolled his eyes. 

“Still, just another god, right?” 

Jeonghan was sure that Seungcheol’s face turned guarded for a moment before the man spoke. 

“You know how every person you met said that they are this lifetime’s something?” Seungcheol curled his fingers, putting air quotes on the word ‘lifetime’s’. 

Jeonghan nodded. 

“That’s the difference between Zeus and the rest of us. He is Zeus. Not just this lifetime but for every lifetime before and after. He is the incarnate Zeus. His influence and knowledge is greater than what we could imagine and he sees everyone’s fate, even the Fates themselves. And with so many gods under him, he can easily change people’s fates.” 

“You know all those Greek mythologies,” Seungcheol continued, “How cruel those gods were? Like what they did to Medusa?” 

Jeonghan nodded. There were many versions but the gist of it was that Medusa was a beautiful virgin maiden in the temple of Athena. Posiedon took a fancy to Medusa and raped her in the temple of Athena. Athena was furious and because Athena was a lower god than Posideon and could not confront him, she took her anger out on Medusa instead. She turned Medusa’s beautiful locks into snakes and cursed Medusa so that no man could ever look at her again without turning into stone. And to top that, Medusa eventually lost her head. Literally. 

“He can do worse. A cruelty that goes beyond curses,” and when Jeonghan’s brow crinkled in confusion, Seungcheol sighed, expression pained and tone bitter. 

“Like taking you away from your family for more than a lifetime. Or have your loved ones be assigned the fates of gods, carrying their burden endlessly. Alone for a lifetime, and more.” 

Joenghan was quick to catch on. "Was that what Zeus threatened you with? Giving me or Hansol the fates of gods?" 

Seungcheol shook his head, turning away from Jeonghan, a tell that he had probably said too much. It was only later when a pot of light appeared in the distance did Seungcheol turn back to Jeonghan to point at the light ahead, a stark contrast from the darkness that had enveloped Jeonghan since his arrival in the underworld. Seungcheol then turned away again, ignorning Jeonghan’s questions and whines like he had done since turning away the first time. 

Because Jeonghan knew Seungcheol couldn’t lie to save his life, the silence was telling. If Zeus had really threatened his husband, Jeonghan was going to make Zeus pay for it, whatever type of god he may be. 

And, this also changes things. When Seungcheol went missing, he thought the man had abandoned his family. But the longer Jeonghan stayed in the underworld, the more he realized how wrong his initial perception could be. And while nothing was really confirmed, Jeonghan felt that he should at least be a little nicer to Seungcheol for all that he endured in the underworld, presumably to save Jeonghan and Hansol from the same fate. 

But to suddenly pretend that everything was alright between them felt odd and Jeonghan could not ignore the bubble of hurt in his heart. While his experience in the underworld had joined the dots a little, it was still not enough to bridge the gap caused by a 15-year absence. 

However, that did not stop Jeonghan from taking Seungcheol’s hand when Seungcheol offered it after alighting the boat. And when Jeonghan did not let go after he got on land, Seungcheol did not question it, gripping his fingers tighter instead. 

They walked in silence into a forest and unlike the forest he endured earlier, this forest was entirely white. It was blindingly white, like someone had thrown white paint over the entire place. Not just white paint, sparkling white paint, which made everything not only white but shiny. And these two factors combined created a throbbing headache in Jeonghan’s temple. 

“Sorry.” 

Huh? 

Jeonghan would close his eyes every now and then to relieve his headache and had not realized that Seungcheol had turned slightly so that he could look at Jeonghan. Jeonghan squinted up at Seungcheol, his husband’s features looking more prominent against the stark background. 

“I should have made some sunglasses too but I forgot how glaring this place could be. Now I can’t do anything as this is not my territory.” 

It was sweet and very Seungcheol so Jeonghan simply gave a small weak smile and shook his head. 

“It’s ok, we’ll be there soon right?” 

When Seungcheol kept quiet, Jeonghan groaned and closed his eyes, the throbbing threatening to become a full-fledged skull-rattling migraine. 

It’s ok Yoon Jeonghan, Jeonghan psyched himself up, add this to the list of things that you are going to chew Zeus about. A few more steps that you’ll be able to give that Zeus a piece of your mind. 

But one more step and Jeonghan almost tripped. 

Jeonghan opened his eyes to see his husband squatting on the floor, gesturing for him to get on his back. 

“You can’t walk if you can’t see where you’re going,” Seungcheol pointed out before Jeonghan could protest. 

It was tempting, to just get on his husband’s back; to have someone to rely on instead of being the reliant one. Before, Jeonghan would probably laugh if someone asked him if he would get on his missing husband’s back on a journey in the underworld. But now, after going through this journey with Seungcheol… With a sigh followed by a nod, Jeonghan gave into temptation and leaned on Seungcheol’s back, hands secured around Seungcheol’s neck. 

Seungcheol stood up, holding onto Jeonghan’s calves. 

“Ok?” 

It was more than ok, pressed so close to his husband, feeling his warmth, enveloped in his scent. It was a bittersweet feeling and Jeonghan needed more than two letters for him to describe how he felt. 

Because he couldn't find the words, he nodded instead, rubbing his face against Seungcheol’s back, eyes closed, feeling Seungcheol’s body shift with every step he took. It wasn’t enough to squash the bubble in his stomach but it was enough for Jeonghan to relax, the throbbing turning into to a gentle hum in the background before eventually disappearing. 

When Jeonghan next opened his eyes, they were no longer in a forest and the sparkling whiteness had thankfully changed to a grey city scape. But unlike a real city scape, the only people Jeonghan could see was himself and Seungcheol. Seungcheol walked up to what looked like a greenhouse and paused. 

Jeonghan expected that Seungcheol would put him down but Seungcheol just held on as he gestured towards the entrance of the greenhouse with his chin. 

“Inside, you will face the Horae, the gods of the seasons, Autumn, Spring and Summer.” 

“Where’s winter?” 

Seungcheol chuckled, “You’re on the back of winter. Hades has always been associated with cold and darkness.” 

Jeonghan didn’t think that was fair as Seungcheol is far from dark and cold. Sure, his husband loves his black clothes but anyone who know him know that Seungcheol was pretty much an overgrown puppy. 

“Anyway,” Seungcheol continued, “Just be honest. They can smell dishonesty so if you lie, they won’t let you in.” 

Jeonghan nodded and tapped Seungcheol’s hand. Seungcheol got the message and slowly let go of Jeonghan’s legs, letting the man slide down his back. 

His legs choose to forget their primary function the moment his feet touched the ground. Jeonghan's knees buckled and he would have kissed the floor if not for Seungcheol’s arms around his waist, holding Jeonghan close. They looked like the cover of a romance novel – Jeonghan looking up as Seungcheol held him in what looked like a romantic dip. 

If it was a romance novel, Seungcheol would have closed the distance between them and Jeonghan’s eyelids would have fluttered close. 

But when Seungcheol closed the distance between them and Jeonghan’s eyelids fluttered close, instead of feeling Seungcheol’s lips on his, Jeonghan heard Seungcheol’s husky voice instead. 

“Don’t believe Zeus.” 

Jeonghan’s eyes popped open, cheeks pinking at his delusion that Seungcheol would kiss him at a moment like this. He steadied himself and moved out of Seungcheol’s hold, taking a few steps back just in case. 

He nodded, looking at the ground. “Thank you,” Jeonghan paused, looking up at his husband with a grateful smile. 

“For bringing me here,” and he walked quickly past Seungcheol, pushing the door open and walking away before Seungcheol could reply. 

Honestly, Jeonghan didn’t want to hear Seungcheol’s reply. Jeonghan had a feeling that seeing Zeus meant that he would have to part with Seungcheol again. 

And he didn’t want to ruin their short reunion with a goodbye. 

Was this what Seungcheol had felt when he left him 15 years ago?


	6. Horae

Jeonghan had always preferred silence to noise. 

In silence, he could either work or sleep the day away. But in a noisy environment, both sleep and productivity evades him, leaving him frazzled and annoyed. 

So when he met the Fates, three incessantly loud, chatty, and rather nosy individuals, Jeonghan had to keep himself in check and make sure he doesn’t bite their heads off. 

However, after entering the greenhouse and being completely ignored for what felt like forever, Jeonghan started to think that he may prefer the Fates instead. With the Fates, at least they talk and Jeonghan just had to listen intently to get what he needs. The Horae didn’t even look at Jeonghan when he entered, all three of them immersed in their own worlds. 

The interior of the greenhouse looked like any greenhouse in the living. Wall to ceiling glass panels encapsulating flora and fauna in every shade of green intersperse with a rainbow of colorful blooms. And amidst this were the Horae where unlike the underworld where everyone seem to wear black, white or a shade in-between, the Horae seemed to be dressed in the color of their season. 

A boy, who looked around Hansol’s age, was dressed in a lime green shirt and emerald green bermudas, doing parkor around the greenhouse. As he flitted from one area to another, jumping over potted plants, sliding under tables and climbing up and down pipes, the boy represented the jubilant and youth of spring. And his clothes, combined with his movements, reminded Jeonghan of leaves rustling in the spring breeze. 

The boy deftly jumped over a canvas, causing the painter to give the boy a side-eye but otherwise remained silent, attention quickly going back to his work. The painter was dressed in shades of browns, red and yellow. If Spring was dressed simply, this man was decked out like a store mannequin advertising its many wares. He was dressed excessively but artfully and accessorized lavishly. From the gold studded red beret on the top of his head to the chocolate tweed suit ending with orange sneakers with gold stripes, the man exuded warmth that only Autumn could bring. Even the gold half-rimmed yellow octagon sunglasses perched at the end of his nose and multiple gold, ruby and cats eyes studs lining the shell of his ears reminded Jeonghan of Autumn leaves. 

Which meant that the half-naked man lounging on a unicorn pool float in the middle of the room with pineapple floaties on his upper arms was Summer. His lack of shirt gave Jeonghan a very good view of defined muscles and Jeonghan half-mused that he had seen better abs before. As if aware of Jeonghan’s presence, the half-naked man yawned, mouth stretching wide. He pushed down the lens of his holographic tinted sunglasses to glance at Jeonghan, expression bored, before pushing up the lens and resumed ignoring Jeonghan. 

Jeonghan’s lips pursed at the dismissal but reminded himself that he needed to be nice – these three were his gateway to Zeus afterall. Clearing his throat, he addressed the room at large, repeating what he had said the moment he got into the room, “Excuse me? How do I get to Zeus?” 

As expected, he was ignored so Jeonghan too dropped the pleasantries. 

“Look, I hate to interrupt you from doing,” Jeonghan paused, waving his hands in their general direction, “whatever this is, but I really need to see Zeus. So, just give me the trial-thing so that I can pass it and you all can return to whatever you’re doing.” 

Again, silence greeted him so Jeonghan took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut and.. 

Screamed. 

He screamed, the shrill sound reverberating off the many glass panels that even Jeonghan could feel his ears ringing. So he stuck his fingers into his ears and screamed until he felt his throat seizing up. He coughed twice before inhaling again, ready to shatter all the glass in the greenhouse until someone talks to him. Thankfully, someone covered his mouth and Jeonghan opened his eyes to see the painter – Autumn – eyes amused and lips quirked. 

“Can I help you?” he asked as he withdrew his hand from Jeonghan’s mouth. 

Jeonghan nodded, removing his fingers and moistening his throat before he spoke. 

“Yes. I want to see Zeus.” 

There was a snort behind Autumn before a pair of hands, complete with pineapple floaties encasing the upper arms, wrapped around Autumn’s shoulder. 

“Everyone wants to see Zeus. But no one gets to see Zeus unless Zeus wants to see you.” 

Jeonghan resisted rolling his eyes, “So how does one get to see Zeus even if he doesn’t want to see them?” 

Summer smirked, “You don’t,” and the smirk was quickly replaced by a grimace when Autumn jabbed his elbow into Summer’s ribs. 

“Be nice, Junhui. Don’t forget who you are talking to,” Autumn chastised softly, side-eying Summer – Junhui – before returning his sight to Jeonghan. 

“Forgive us,” Autumn apologized, no hint of sarcasm in his tone, “Gods have just pass us too many times this lifetime for us to notice so we too have learned to ignore them as well.” He reached out and brushed a strand of Jeonghan’s hair aside, tucking it into his ear. 

“You are the first to talk to us, to acknowledge our presence and for that we are grateful. However, as grateful as we are, Junhui is, unfortunately, correct. Zeus only sees who he wants to see.” 

“But,” Spring interrupted, skidding to a stop inbetween Jeonghan and Autumn, wedging into the space between them, “Minghao, I heard Zeus asking for Hades.” 

“Chan,” Autumn – Minghao – patted Spring – Chan’s – head, “I don’t think he means him.” 

Chan shook his head, “He’s Hades! He can pass through!” 

Are the Horae mistaking him for Seungcheol, Hades? Jeonghan was about to correct them but the thought that this was his one opportunity to see Zeus had Jeonghan holding his tongue. 

Jeonghan nodded gingerly, voice slightly cautious, “so I can pass?” 

Minghao’s head tilted to the side, gaze questioning and cryptic. 

“Well, Hades can pass but answer this question first.” 

Jeonghan nodded, gesturing for Minghao to ask away but it was Junhui that asked the question. 

“So, to see Zeus, you need to be Hades. But if you have to give up everything to be Hades, would you still want to see Zeus?” 

“Remember why you want to see Zeus in the first place,” Chan reminded, “does the means justify the ends?” 

“That’s two questions,” Jeonghan pointed out. 

Minghao smirked, “Well, I never said that there is only one question. So to make things a little more interesting, here’s my question too. Who are you really, Yoon Jeonghan?” 

Jeonghan blinked, taken aback. A part of him wanted to just pretend to be Hades and force his way through. It was a very plausible plan. They already believe that he is Hades, he probably just need to rage a little and the Horae would let him through. 

But, a nagging voice at the back of his mind reminded him of Seungcheol’s warning. 

The Horae won’t let Jeonghan in if they spot a lie. 

But, their questions were direct in their indirectness and too much for Jeonghan to ponder at the moment. So he answered as honestly as he could. 

“I am Yoon Jeonghan who became a single dad when my husband Choi Seungcheol became this lifetime’s Hades 15 years. I died from a car accident today, or yesterday? And I want to see Zeus so that I can convince him to let me go home to my son, Hansol. So that my boy have at least one parent.” 

Jeonghan swallowed the lump in his throat before he continued, “Being Hades or not does not change my goal. I will do anything to see Zeus and similarly, anything to go home to my son. They do not have to be conflicting decisions because I know what is my goal – to be with my family.” 

Chan was the first to speak after Jeonghan’s mini speech. 

“See? I told you he is Hades,” the boy declared triumphantly. 

The two men looked at Chan before exchanging a look and nod between themselves. 

Junhui held out a hand to Jeonghan and Jeonghan looked at the outstretched limb wearily. 

“You want to see Zeus right?” 

And before Jeonghan could take Summer’s hand, Minghao took Jeonghan’s hand and placed it in Junhui’s. 

“Don’t worry,” Minghao assured, “if it’s you, I’m sure you won’t have any problems.” 

The words sounded oddly familiar but Jeonghan didn’t have time to think before he was tugged away, Chan and Minghao waving him goodbye with big smiles. 

“Where are we going?” Jeonghan asked, looking away from the two seasons to look at Junhui. 

The man stopped infront of his unicorn pool float as he dropped Jeonghan’s hand. 

“Sit.” 

Jeonghan eyed the float incredulously, “Here?” 

Junhui nodded. 

Seriously? 

“How is this going to get me to Zeus? Are we going to swim there? Will I get wet?” 

Junhui just sighed, as though talking to a too inquisitive child. 

“Just sit,” and when Jeonghan still did not move, the man pushed him. 

Jeonghan landed on the float with an undignified squawk and he was just about to give Summer a piece of his mind when he realized that he was no longer in the greenhouse. The glass panels were replaced by a padded wall and what looks like the interior of a recording studio. 

A man was hunched over a control panel, a large pair of earphones over his ears, eyes closed and head bobbing to an unheard rhythm. 

Jeonghan stood up, belatedly realizing that he was actually sitting on a leather swivel chair rather than the plastic unicorn float. Not giving that fact a second thought, he walked towards the man, intending to tap him on the shoulder. 

But before he could reach him, without looking up, the man held up a hand to indicate for Jeonghan to wait. Normally, Jeonghan hated waiting but something told him that he should wait this time. So he did, tapping his foot inpatiently but waited he did. 

He took this time to look at the man who looked more like a teenager the longer Jeonghan stared at him. He didn’t look taller than Hansol but with a much smaller build. Also, that fluffy blond hair peeking out from the black baseball cap just made the boy look so much younger. In addition, the boy was in a black band t-shirt two-sizes too big and black jeans with the knees torn out so wide that he might as well be wearing bermudas instead. Typical teenager fashion. And, Jeonghan was sure that Hansol had the same pair of white scruffy sneakers on the boy’s feet. 

Was this boy another god? Another barrier before he could see Zeus? How long did he have to wait before he could finally talk to Zeus?! 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” 

Jeonghan snapped out of his thoughts and realized that the boy had turned in his chair to face him, headphones hanging on the stand next to the control panel. 

Finally. 

Jeonghan was about to ask the boy about Zeus when the boy again raised his hand for Jeonghan to wait. Jeonghan complied with a scowl and watched as the boy stood up and walked towards him. 

The next thing he knew, the boy was enveloping him in a tight hug. 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” the boy said, which was confusing but not as confusing as what he said next. 

“Brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnnnnnn!!
> 
> Our favorite guitar-wielding Vobo next.


	7. Hades and Apollo

“Brother?” 

Why is the whole world mistaking him for Seungcheol? 

Jeonghan was about to correct the boy when the boy started on a rant, of sorts. 

“You have no idea how hard it is to find you. It has been so lonely, being the only one here. It’s different as the incarnate. The responsibilities, the power, it’s just so overwhelming,” the boy said as he walked to the control panel and with a swipe of his hand, brought up several moving images which floated in mid-air. 

“We would have met earlier if not for the Fates meddling. Hermes was supposed to look for you but the Fates intervened and..” 

Jeonghan tuned out the boy’s words as his attention was captured by one of the images. In it, Seungcheol was handing him a struggling Hansol before pressing a kiss to Jeonghan’s lips. Jeonghan recognized that scene as the day before Seungcheol went missing. It was Jeonghan’s first solo trip with Hansol to the pediatrician. Seungcheol couldn’t come along as he had a teleconference call with a client and his husband was feeling immensely guilty about that. Jeonghan was reassuring his husband that it was okay and that there was more visits to the pediatrician in the future for the both of them. 

In the floating image, Jeonghan was waving goodbye and a fussy Hansol refused to even look at Seungcheol, his head buried in Jeonghan’s shoulder. The door closed and Jeonghan watched as Seungcheol went into their study room slash Jeonghan’s office, setting up his laptop and scrolling through his phone. 

Right then, the Fates popped up, looking left and right as though checking something. 

“Opps-“ 

“Guess we missed them-“ 

“Yup. Nothing intentional. Just bad timing-“ 

“Who the hell are you?” Seungcheol yelped, holding his phone up like a weapon, “Stop grabbing for that- that- mouth or I’ll call the cops!” 

The Fates looked amused as Dokyeom took the mouth and slapped it on. 

“Relax. The police can’t help but you can.” 

Soonyoung grabbed the mouth from Dokyeom and pasted it on his face. 

“You’re giving the plot point away! We need to start-“ his words were interrupted by Seungkwan pulling the mouth away from Soonyoung. 

“I thought we already discussed this! This was not how we have practiced it!” Seungkwan’s frown was literally torn off his face by Soonyoung. 

“Which is why I say we need to start from the beginning! Stop interrupting me!” It was an odd scene, Soonyoung trying to fight off Seungkwan’s hands while one leg was trying to keep Dokyeom at a distance. Jeonghan could see the confusion on Seungcheol’s face and he almost clapped when his husband reached forward and pulled the mouth off Soonyoung’s face while the three were distracted. 

The lips were pinched with two fingers and held away from his body and Jeonghan could almost see Seungcheol squirm in discomfort. 

“Stop it! Or I’ll,” Seungcheol looked around, unsure of what to do with the orifice pinched between his fingers, “drop it?” the threat came out more like a question but it was enough for the Fates to stop what they’re doing, attention on Seungcheol. 

“You,” Seungcheol pointed to Dokeyom, “come here and explain.” 

Dokyeom obediently walked to Seungcheol and before Seungcheol passed the lips over, he growled lowly, “Explain. And get to the point.” 

Dokyeom nodded and opened his palm to which Seungcheol deposited the lips, quickly wiping his fingers on his pants. 

“Okay,” Dokeyom began, “So, we are the Fates. And we are here to retrieve Jeonghan and Hansol and..” he trailed off, looking between Seungcheol and the other two Fates, “can we take turns explaining? We’re doomed to share one mouth as this lifetime’s Fates and I feel bad about monopolizing this mouth even though those two can be a pain,” there was an disgruntled muffled huff coming from Soonyoung and Seungkwan’s brows were knitted together. 

“So can we take turns-“ Seungcheol quickly waved for them to just go ahead but put a hand over Dokyeom’s mouth, “no fighting this time,” he warned and all three heads nodded eagerly. 

The mouth was passed to Soonyoung who tapped on his chin as though thinking, “So where were we? Ah, yes, we’re the Fates and we’re here to retrieve Jeonghan and Hansol. They are the incarnate Hades and Apollo and will rule Olympus together with the incarnate Zeus.” 

He dutifully passed over the mouth to Seungkwan when the man held his palm out to Soonyoung. 

“What that means,” Seungkwan continued, “is that your husband and son will be in Olympus for eternity. It’s not a bad job, you know, a lot of power and control over life. But, extremely lonely job.” 

He passed the lips to Soonyoung without the latter asking for it. 

“If you don’t want to doom your husband and child to that type of life for eternity, there is something you can do about it.” 

The Fates kept silent after that, prompting an annoyed “What?” from Seungcheol. 

“We can’t tell you,” Dokyeom answered, “We are the Fates. We report things but we can’t change them.” 

“But we can help to guide you along, of course,” Seungkwan continued, brows wiggling as he spoke. 

Jeonghan could see Seungcheol’s eyeroll and feel the frustration simmering under Seungcheol’s skin. 

“So you’re telling me,” Seungcheol gritted out, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, “that you can tell me all about what will happen to my husband and child but you can’t tell me, directly at least, what I can do to prevent it?” 

Three heads nodded in unison. 

“Fine,” Seungcheol sighed, “so,” he trailed off, mind blank. 

“Well,” Seungkwan started slowly, “usually, in such cases, a sacrifice is needed.” 

Seungcheol’s eyes widen, “You mean like a roast pig or a human sacrifice?” 

Even without the mouth, Jeonghan could tell that Soonyoung was holding back a muffled laugh. 

“Erm, not really. We’re not that barbaric,” Dokyeom clarified, “more like a personal sacrifice.” 

“For example,” Soonyoung suggested as he wiped away tears of mirth, “you could take someone’s place. Do someone else’s job. Something like that.” 

Seungcheol nodded, “I can take over Jeonghan and Hansol’s place.” 

The Fates clapped, triumphant smile and crescent eyes greeting his answer. 

“Great!” Seungkwan gave Seungcheol a thumbs up, “Now you just need to bring this suggestion to Zeus. He had led a lonely and burdened existence as the only incarnate god so he wouldn’t give up on Jeonghan and Hansol that easily. You need to appeal to-“ 

The image that Jeonghan had been staring at disappeared in a puff of smoke and he blinked in surprise. A turn of his head and he saw the boy pouting and Jeonghan wondered how someone who looked so annoyed could also look so adorable. 

“You are not listening to me,” the boy accused. 

Jeonghan actually felt his cheeks burning as he nodded, “Sorry about that,” and Jeonghan suddenly remembered his mission. 

“Where can I find Zeus?” 

The boy cocked a brow, “Are you serious?” 

Jeonghan shot back a bored look, “Do I look like I’m joking?” 

The boy’s lips quirked, “Fine. I’m Jihoon, better known as Zeus. The incarnate Zeus. And you, my brother, if it is not obvious enough, are Hades. The incarnate Hades.” 

Sure, Jeonghan had watched the clip and even after hearing it from the boy, no, Zeus, Jeonghan still doubted what he heard. 

“There has to be some mistake. I’m not Hades, incarnate or otherwise!” 

Jihoon walked past Jeonghan and Jeonghan turned around in time to see Jihoon pushing the unicorn-float-turned-leather-swivel-chair towards him. Zeus gestured for Jeonghan to sit and Jeonghan accepted the gesture, dropping into the seat as Jihoon sat down too. 

“To get to Olympus, to find me, you started at the underworld right?” 

Jeonghan nodded, not sure where this conversation was going. 

“Why do you think Charon, Wonwoo, let you cross without the coins?” 

“He said it was service,” Jeonghan added quickly. 

Jihoon snorted, “Yeah, right. Anyway, going through the forest, why were you not attacked? Because you are Hades,” Jihoon added quickly before Jeonghan could refute it. 

Jeonghan remembered vaguely about Seungcheol saying that the beasts won’t come close to Hades and he thought that meant Seungcheol, not himself. 

“And, how do you think you could enter Olympus if you are not a major god? And the Horae? You won’t even be able to see them if you’re not a major god.” 

“Lastly,” Jihoon pointed out, “haven’t you realized that the things that you want would come true?” 

Jeonghan’s eyes widen. 

The rock. 

Jeonghan had desperatedly wanted somewhere to sit on when he ran out after insulting Seungcheol. And there it was, the rock. 

Even before that, doors would appear whenever Jeonghan thought about them. 

“Try it,” Jihoon prompted, a sly smile on his lips. 

Jeonghan swallowed and held out his palms and a triple-tiered strawberry shortcake magically appeared and while the confectionary looked as though it should weigh a ton, it was actually weightless. With a soft sigh, the cake morphed into a corgi puppy which landed on Jeonghan’s lap, looking adorably confuddled – both confused and befuddled, its stubby tail twitching as it tilted its head at Jeonghan. 

“Wow,” Jeonghan breathed out, trying to keep his tone even as he cuddles the puppy, “I don’t even need to snap my fingers.” 

Jihoon shrugged his shoulders, “Anyway, now that we got that out of the way, I’ll get someone to bring Hansol here as well.” 

“No.” 

Jihoon raised a brow, “No?” 

“No and I can’t talk to you now. I need answers and after that, we will talk some more. But before that, don’t bring Hansol here.” 

As Jeonghan stood up with the puppy in his arms, Jihoon folded his arms, “And why would I listen to you?” 

For the life of him, Jeonghan didn’t know why he said what he said next. 

He smiled serenely at Jihoon, “Because while you’re Zeus, you’re also my brother. You wouldn’t do anything that would hurt me.” 

A door magically appeared infront of Jeonghan, the panel swinging close as Jeonghan stepped through it. 

… 

Seungcheol was sitting on his throne, eyes closed, leaning against the headrest. 

Seeing Jeonghan again had been bittersweet, a reminder of what he left behind and how his heart would never be full again. 

“Don’t be so depressed.” 

Seungcheol ignored Seungkwan, letting himself sink into desolation a moment longer. Heck, he had two lifetimes to sulk, a moment longer won’t make much difference. 

“He’ll be here soon.” 

Seungcheol sighed, “Who? Jihoon again? I have no idea why he sent me all those messages and Mingyu when he asked me to go back the moment he saw me.” 

“No,” Soonyoung answered, “your husband.” 

“Jeonghan,” Dokyeom added. 

And because Seungkwan had to have the last word, “Hades incarnate.” 

Seungcheol opened his eyes in time to see a door appearing in the middle of the room, the panel swinging open and Jeonghan stepped out, a corgi puppy in his arms. 

Seungcheol didn’t even have time to react when Jeonghan calmly walked towards him and sat on his lap. The puppy settled down on Jeonghan’s lap, content with licking Jeonghan’s fingers, stumpy tail twitching now and then. 

“Jeonghan?” Seungcheol croaked and because he always knows the right things to say, the next words that tumbled out of his mouth were, “Where did you get the puppy?” 

Jeonghan shrugged as he leaned on Seungcheol’s chest, “I couldn’t bring myself to eat him.” 

And as odd as Jeonghan’s answer was, Seungcheol couldn’t find the words to question him further as he wrapped his arms around his husband, wondering if Jeonghan could feel his heart hammering against Jeonghan’s back. 

“I will talk to you later,” Jeonghan whispered before he cleared his throat. 

“Fates,” and it was the first time that Seungcheol saw the three Fates bow their heads for anyone besides Jihoon. 

“Why have you brought me here?” Jeonghan’s voice was serene but the steel was there and the Fates felt it too as their backs straightened. 

“And I want you to be straight with me.” 

Seungcheol could see three adam apples bob nervously before Seungkwan spoke. 

“You can change things, Hades.” 

“You can bring an end to our misery or at least make it more bearable,” Soonyoung added. 

“And only Hades can change Zeus’ mind,” Dokyeom concluded. 

Jeonghan sighed, “And I guess you can’t tell me exactly how.” 

The Fates nodded. 

“No hints either.” 

The Fates shook their head. 

Dokyeom smiled, “It would come to you, Jeonghan. It always does.” 

Jeonghan sighed again, “Fine. Go to Zeus. I will be there shortly.” 

“Are you sure?” Seungkwan asked, cheeky smile on his lips. 

“It would do you well if you ignore what happens next, Seungkwan. The same goes for you two, too.” 

The men shared a look before Seungkwan smirked on their behalf. A smirk that was short-lived when the lips on his face disappeared. 

The Fates immediately turned their attention back to Jeonghan, dropping to their knees. 

“I may be Jeonghan but I am also Hades and it would bode you three well to remember that.” 

The three immediately nodded, adam apples bobbing nervously again before quickly getting up and stepping into the door that Jeonghan had earlier stepped out from. The door disappeared and Seungcheol was alone with Jeonghan. 

“What happened-” 

Jeonghan shook his head, don’t worry. They will get their mouths back in a few moments but more importantly, do you think Hansol would be able to take care of Cerebus?” 

Seungcheol blinked at the question. 

“What?” he asked intelligently. 

“Cerebus,” Jeonghan repeated, lifting the puppy by its fore legs so that it balanced on its hind legs on Jeonghan’s lap. 

“With one head,” Jeonghan continued conversationally, “he won’t scare the neighbors as much. But anyone who thinks about robbing us will be in for a rude shock.” 

Neighbors? 

“Jeonghan? Baby?” 

Jeonghan nodded to the unspoken question, “The Horae asked me who am I and whether my quest to see Zeus will conflict with my goal to go home.” 

Jeonghan puts the puppy on the floor before he turned around to straddle Seungcheol’s lap. 

“It does not,” Jeonghan continued, his hands coming up to Seungcheol’s face, cupping it gently as his thumbs stroked Seungcheol’s cheeks. 

“Except this time, I am not going home alone. You are going home with me.”


	8. Gods

When Seungcheol left for the underworld, he never thought that he would see Jeonghan again. Much less kiss the man, hug him or even hold his hand.

But somehow, Seungcheol managed to do that and a lot more as he cuddled in bed with Jeonghan, skin to skin, legs tangled together as he laid on his side looking at the love of his life. Seungcheol could almost pretend that he never left for the underworld and that there was no Hades or Zeus in their lives as he laid on their bed in their bedroom.

He could pretend as long as he doesn’t look up at the ceiling of their bedroom which had disappeared to show a splattering of stars. Their corgi puppy – Cerebus – was running in the night sky trying to catch the sparkling orbs that Jeonghan was pointing at, re-arranging the lighted dots so that they dance around the excited puppy. Cerebus was delighted, stubby tail wagging and ears perked in attention, making small pounces only to land in an aw-inducing splot, its legs too adorably short to make much of a leap.

It was absolutely precious and Seungcheol was captivated for a few moments before his eyes went back to Jeonghan, reveling in how his husband’s eyes crinkled in delight, the lift of his lips and the soft giggles from said luscious lips as he tossed the stars around to tease Cerebus.

Seungcheol leaned in every few moments to press kisses to Jeonghan’s jaw, neck and shoulder, his fingers laced with Jeonghan’s free hand while the other was splayed on Jeonghan’s bare hip, fingers lightly stroking the skin there.

“It shouldn’t be so natural, right?”

Jeonghan was still looking at Cerebus when he spoke so Seungcheol hummed in question.

“This,” Jeonghan explained, waving his hand around, “this power, this non-panicking mode, this… _acceptance_ ,” Jeonghan frowned slightly at the last word.

Seungcheol leaned forward to kiss the frown between Jeonghan’s brow.

“You’ve always been quick to adapt to changes, baby.”

Jeonghan relaxed but he shook his head.

“No, not when you left.”

Seungcheol’s face fell, “I-“

Jeonghan quickly shook his head, two fingers pinching Seungcheol’s lips together. He shifted so that he faced Seungcheol completely, one leg hooking over Seungcheol’s hip.

“I don’t mean it that way so don’t you dare apologize. I mean that I need you in my life. When you left, it was as though – and I know this sounds cliché – like a part of me was missing. I didn’t feel as confident, I didn’t feel as strong. I felt so lost.”

Seungcheol lifted the hand from his lips and kissed Jeonghan’s palm before pressing it to his face, “I’m sorry. No, don’t look at me like that. I have to say it, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you and Hansol.”

Jeonghan sighed, dipping so that his head was under Seungcheol’s chin.

“It’s scary how natural this comes to me,” Jeonghan muttered against Seungcheol’s skin, “how _not_ freaking out I am.”

Seungcheol kissed the top of Jeonghan’s head, arms tightening around his husband but keeping quiet, knowing that Jeonghan just wants him to listen and not comment.

“He gonna hate it, you know. Me changing things.”

Seungcheol nodded, “I’ll stand with you, no matter what you do.”

“I know,” Jeonghan peeked up at Seungcheol, “and I get part of what the Fates need me to do. But I’m stuck on the other part. Any advice?”

Seungcheol blinked, confused, “Advice?”

Jeonghan nodded, “Yup. As a lawyer, how do you achieve a win-win in court?”

“I don’t think lawyers think about win-win, baby. It’s more of I-win and prosecution-lose.”

Jeonghan hummed, “But I need something to convince Jihoon to change. I know of the changes to make but I don’t know how to get Jihoon to accept them.”

Seungcheol stroked Jeonghan’s back soothingly, “You’ll get it. I know that you will.”

Jeonghan sighed, dipping so that his cheek was back against Seungcheol’s chest.

“Hopefully. But at least we get this time together. He’s probably already freaking about what I did to the Fates.”

“Taking away their mouth? But you returned it to them already, didn’t you?”

Jeonghan nodded, “I did. I gave all three of them their mouths back, one each.”

“Three mouths?“ One mouth was enough to give Seungcheol a headache. Three? He may lose his hearing.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Jeonghan assured, “I promise it’s better than them constantly fighting and complaining about having to share one mouth.”

“Ok..,” Seungcheol hedged, not sounding entirely confident but trusting that Jeonghan knows what he’s doing.

Jeonghan yawned, “And the next thing I’m going to do is to send you home.”

Seungcheol stiffened, “You said we’re going home together.”

“Yes, eventually. You need to go home first and protect our son,” Jeonghan paused and gave a dry laugh, “I just realized our son is the sun god. Not that I don’t already worship him but still..”

“Jeonghan, focus,” Seungcheol may have sounded a little more stern than normal but this was important, “What do you mean by me going home first to protect our son?”

Jeonghan pulled back so that he could look directly at Seungcheol.

“I can’t meet Zeus head-on with you here. You need to go home and prepare Hansol for what it means to be Apollo. I know that you exchanged your lifetimes for us so you would have been trained on what to do as Apollo like how you have been trained on what to do as Hades.”

Before Seungcheol could argue, Jeonghan continued, “I would love to go back with you, back to our son. But I need to work on Jihoon. And before you say anything, know that your job is harder than mine and it is something only you can do.”

“So, you think working with our son is harder than working with Zeus, the god of gods,” Seungcheol deadpanned.

Jeonghan replied with an arrogant smirk, “You, dear husband, have never worked with a teenager before. Granted, our son is a lot more tolerable than other teenagers but he is a teenager, nevertheless. And, besides being Apollo, you need to ensure that Hansol keeps up with his studies. Sun god or not, my son is not going to get a ‘C’. He can be a musician later but for now, I need him to concentrate on his studies so that he could have more options later in life. In addition to being the sun god, of course.”

“Of course,” Seungcheol repeated drily, causing Jeonghan to chortle as he slapped Seungcheol’s chest playfully before his expression sobered.

“I need you to do this, Seungcheol. Prepare our son for what’s to come. Take my place and I’ll be back with you, both of you, as soon as I can.”

Seungcheol tightened his hold on Jeonghan as his chest constricted, a foreboding of separation hanging in the air.

“When?”

Jeonghan shook his head against Seungcheol’s chest, words muffled and pained.

“I don’t know.”  
….

 

“I really want to meet our son.”

Jeonghan nodded, patting Seungcheol’s back soothingly, occasionally running his fingers through his husband’s thick black hair.

“But I don’t want to leave you. Again.”

“It’ll be different this time.”

“But..”

Jeonghan hummed, “I know. Me too.”

Seungcheol sighed, his body slacked against Jeonghan’s hold.

“You have to go, babe. Jihoon will be here soon,” despite his own words, Jeonghan made no move to get up from Seungcheol’s lap.

Seungcheol hummed, “Our son will be great.”

Jeonghan nodded, voice warm and proud, “the best.”

“And you will be home soon.”

Jeonghan nodded again, “You won’t even missed me.”

Seungcheol’s hands tightened around Jeonghan.

“Not possible.”

Jeonghan groaned, “You’re making it hard, Seungcheol.”

A laugh, “You never complained before.”

Jeonghan smacked Seungcheol’s chest, muttering, “Idiot,” and said idiot grinned happily before it faded at Jeonghan’s next sentence.

“You have to go,” and this time, Jeonghan did get off Seungcheol’s lap but did not let go of his husband’s hands as he stood at the foot of the bed.

With a sigh, Seungcheol got up when Jeonghan pulled him upright. And once Seungcheol was upright, Jeonghan yanked him forward by his jacket, their lips crashing together.

“Take care of yourself and our son for me,” Jeonghan muttered against Seungcheol’s lips.

Seungcheol nodded, “You take care too. Come back to us as soon as possible,” and Jeonghan didn’t know if he was tasting his, Seungcheol’s or their combined tears.

“Goodbye,” and with that one word, Jeonghan was alone, Seungcheol’s warmth left lingering on his lips.

“You fucker.”

Jeonghan shut his eyes and sighed, wiping his eyes quickly as he took a deep breath. With a smile plastered on his lips, he opened his eyes and spun around to face a fuming Jihoon.

His surroundings transformed from the minimalistic yet comfy interior of his bedroom to the dark cavern of the underworld.

“Hello brother.”  
….

 

Seungcheol squinted as he tried to acclimatize to the lights in the room. It took him several moments to realize that he was in a hospital waiting room, the other occupants in the room either asleep in their seats or staring at their phones, unaware that Seungcheol had probably appeared out of thin air.

Disorientated, he got up, wondering why Jeonghan sent him here. He belatedly realized that Jeonghan had not given him any clue on how or where to find Hansol. Had Jeonghan moved? Was Hansol at school? Which school was he in anyway?

Just as he was cursing himself on his lack of preparation work, too immersed - literally and figuratively - in his husband to think of anything else, Seungcheol walked straight into someone and both he and the person yelped.

Seungcheol quickly stepped backwards, only to look into eyes that reminded him so much of his own.

“Sorry,” the boy muttered, pushing down his headphones as he bowed quickly before he straightened, probably intending to make a quick escape.

“Wait,” Seungcheol grabbed the boy’s arm, making the boy whip around and pierce him with a familiar glare that he had received one too many times whenever his husband was annoyed.

Seungcheol quickly dropped his hand, hands up in a show of mock surrender.

“I mean to say that it’s my fault too. You know, for not watching where I was going and bumping into you.”

The boy shrugged, “It’s ok, mister,” before his eyes darted away, “Erm, sorry but I need to go,” as he pointed down the corridor, towards the wards.

“Oh, ok,” was Seungcheol’s eloquent reply because he could not find the right words to tell Hansol that he was his missing father of 15 years and here to, temporary, take Jeonghan’s place to coach him how to be a sun god.

And because he could not find the words, he followed Hansol as the boy made his way to one of the wards and slides the door open, entering the ward. He waited a few minutes before he slides the door opened gingerly.

Unfortunately, his entry was not a silent one. Everyone – his parents, Jeonghan’s parents and Hansol – turned around when he slides the door open, revealing Jeonghan’s comatose form, one too many tubes surrounding his frail, gaunt body, connected to the array of medical equipment flanking the hospital bed. Seungcheol heard his mother gasp followed by her cracked watery voice.

“Seungcheol?”  
….

 

“This is the underworld, not your house.”

Jeonghan shrugged as he recreated the illusion of his living room to replace the dark cavern of the underworld.

“Whoever visits here, have their own purpose. I don’t think a change in aesthetics would change their purpose.”

Jihoon pinched the bridge of his nose, voice tight as he tried to remain calm.

“We have to keep to tradition, Jeonghan. As the incarnate gods, we have to maintain a certain sense of decorum. We have to bring back the glory of what it means to be a god. We have-“

“Jihoon,“ Jeonghan began before his tone gentled, “brother. Listen to yourself. We have to do this. We have to do that. Who dictates what we have to do, anyway? Are you telling me that you, Zeus, god of gods, have to listen to some ancient rules on how to rule Olympus?”

Jihoon’s lips pursed and Jeonghan took the opportunity to continue, “think about it. Back then, you set rules that you think were right for that time. But now is not that time anymore. We can’t work like its 100BC and don't pretend that you're not bored of the olden times. I don't remember _Olympus_ having a _studio_. And-.”

Jeonghan was interrupted by a yelp and both gods looked up to see a corgi puppy, flailing as it hovered mid-air, visibly anxious.

“Opps,” Jeonghan muttered as he held out his hands and the puppy floated down into his arms, “Sorry, Cerebus,” Jeonghan apologized as he nuzzled the ball of wiggling fur, “Forgot about you for a moment.”

“That,” Jihoon pointed at the puppy, “is Cerebus,” his unimpressed tone matched his unimpressed expression.

Jeonghan huffed, “For your information, corgis were originally bred for hunting and helping out in farms so they are plenty feisty. Besides, doesn’t that cute demeanor make you put your guard down? Then when they attack,” Jeonghan smirked, a hand slicing across his neck.

Jihoon snorted but did not comment.

“So anyway,” Jeonghan continued, “the Fates also saw this change coming. If not, they would not have made it so that I visit the underworld this way. And not how you intended.”

Jeonghan flicked his hand and a door appeared, the wooden panel swinging opening and the Fates exited the door.

Jihoon could feel an oncoming aneurysm as he gritted, “There are three mouths.”

“Wait, before you scold me about this, remember how frustrating it was for them to fight for one mouth? And for us to watch them grab said mouth? Isn’t this better?”

“Jeonghan,” Jihoon growled and Jeonghan quickly shoved Cerebus into Jihoon’s arms.

“Hold him for a moment,” Jeonghan said as he went to the Fates, giving the three men a warning glare before he turned back to Jihoon.

“Fates, tell Zeus what lies ahead for Olympus.”

Seungkwan nodded and held out three fingers, tucking in one after another. After he tucked in the last ring finger, the three Fates opened their mouths.

Jihoon braced himself for the barrage of information but instead, he heard the three sing in acapella, And, they actually sounded pretty good, great if Jihoon was to be honest, hitting all the right notes and sounding on pitch.

“Change is imminent for Olympus,” they sang, “If change does not happen, Olympus will fall. One grows weary and a lifetime is too long to bear.”

Jeonghan clapped his hands at the end of the performance, “See? Isn’t this much better?”

Jihoon scowled but nodded begrudgingly, “This still does not pardon you from letting Seungcheol go back to the land of the living.”

“What would you need a lifetime Hades for when you have the incarnate Hades right here?” Jeonghan gestured to himself, hands on his cocked hips.

Jihoon’s eyes narrowed, “You seemed to have all the answers, brother. And Apollo? What is your answer to that?”

“Well, that question is also the reason why I sent Seungcheol back. I did you the favor of sending Seungcheol to train Hansol to get ready for his post as Apollo.”

“So, when will Hansol finish his training and come to Olympus?”

Jeonghan flashed a cheshire smile, “Well….”  
….

 

It was not the first time that day that Seungcheol blamed himself for not asking Jeonghan for tips on how to talk to Hansol. Since the hospital, Hansol had kept at least 3 meters away from Seungcheol and would move away whenever Seungcheol tried to close the gap.

Seungcheol sighed as he scrubbed his face with his hand. Maybe he should have asked his parents or his in-laws but he had forgotten then as well.

After his parents and in-laws recovered from the fact that he was back, they had cornered him, barraging him with questions, none which Seungcheol could answer nor correct.

Thankfully, Jeonghan’s mother cut through the interrogation, squeezing Seungcheol hand tight, she asked Seungcheol the one question that he could answer.

“I don’t care where you’ve been. All I want to know is if Jeonghan is coming back as well. Like you.”

Seungcheol nodded, his “Yes,” confident and strong – he might not know when his husband would be back but he was sure that Jeonghan would, indeed, be back.

Appeased for now, she let go of his hand, “Fine. We will talk tomorrow. Go home with Hansol. Comfort your son.”

That was hours ago.

The moment Hansol reached home, the boy headed straight for his room and stayed in it. All of Seungcheol’s knocking and calls went unanswered.

He sighed again.

A look at the wall clock and it was already past 7pm. The boy had to be hungry because Seungcheol sure was. The familiar feeling had hit him earlier but with everything that was going on, he was exactly able to excuse himself to get a bite.

Now, it seemed as though his stomach was trying to eat itself and Seungcheol wondered if he could maybe tempt Hansol with some food.

In the kitchen, he saw the array of delivery menus stuck on the refrigerator wall and he guessed Jeonghan’s cooking probably hadn’t improved over the years. The fridge had the bare essentials and Seungcheol doubted that the boy had eaten much with Jeonghan being hospitalized for the last two weeks.

Seungcheol closed the fridge door to rife through the drawers, taking out two packets of instant mee and a canned of spam. Together with the eggs and cheese he had retrieved from the fridge, Seungcheol was sure that Jeonghan would scream at the amount of sodium in the ingredients and how it sure did not meet the four major food groups. But, this was comfort food and he was sure that both he and his son desperately needed some now.

Putting a pot of water on the stove, he turned it on then worked on opening the can of spam and cutting it into cubes. He went to the fridge again and retrieved the two chilies and semi-wilted stalk of spring onions that could still be salvaged. He washed and sliced both items before cracking two eggs into a bowl. After whipping the eggs, he dropped in the chopped chilies and spring onions.

Grabbing a frying pan, he laid it on the heated stove and tossed in the spam. A few minutes later, the spam was sizzling, a brown crispy coat forming and the umami smell was wafting in the kitchen. Pouring the egg mixture into the frying pan, Seungcheol covered the pan while he tossed the squares of instant noodle into the boiling water, followed shortly by the seasoning packets.

  
The noodles were done by the time Seungcheol plated the omelet. After putting the plate on the coaster on the dining table, he went back to the kitchen for the pot of noodles and put the entire pot on a separate coaster. With serving bowls and cutlery placed with a packet of sliced processed cheese at the side, Seungcheol rapped on Hansol’s door again.

“You need to eat Hansol. I made dinner.”

Silence, as expected, greeted Seungcheol.

“I made your dad’s favorite.”

The same silence hung in the air and Seungcheol sighed as he went to the dining table and sat down, feeling like a complete failure.

 _I'm not going to let my son starve,_ and with that thought in mind, Seungcheol filled a bowl with some instant noodles and soup, putting a slice of cheese on the steaming bowl of noodles before topping it with half an omelet, the omelet larger than the circumference of the bowl.

Standing at Hansol’s door while holding a tray with the bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks and a spoon, Seungcheol realized that he was not able to knock or open Hansol’s door when both his hands were holding the tray.

Seungcheol sighed and was about to ask Hansol to open the door when the door swung open and both father and son jumped a little at seeing each other.

Seungcheol temporarily lost his tongue and thankfully, Hansol was the first to speak. The boy peered at omelet on the bowl and lifted a brow.

“Dad’s favorite food is not omelet.”

Seungcheol blinked, “Erm, its army stew actually but he didn’t like the ingredients touching or soaked too long so this was my version for him. There’s noodles and cheese below the omelet,” he quickly added.

The boy nodded and took the tray from Seungcheol but instead of going back into the room, Hansol went to the dining table instead, placing the tray on the table and dropping into one of the chairs.

Seungcheol quickly joined the boy at the table and picked up his chopsticks the same time Hansol picked up his.

“Dad doesn’t like me eating in the room,” the boy mumbled before picking up the omelet and biting into it.

Seungcheol smiled at the small revelation and the two ate in silence, and while it still felt awkward, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Once finished, Hansol muttered a small thanks and brought his tray to the kitchen.

“Leave it,” Seungcheol called out, “I’ll wash it together, son,” the word slipping out before Seungcheol realized it. And judging from how Hansol flinched, the boy heard it too. Hansol left his tray near the sink, muttered another quick “thanks” before ducking out of the kitchen and back to his room, head bowed and eyes looking everywhere but at Seungcheol.

Seungcheol sighed for the umpteen time that night. He wasn’t expecting his son to call him “dad” or even acknowledge him anytime soon but the reaction stung and hurt. He needed to talk to Hansol, explain why he went missing and also Jeonghan’s task for him. But the problem was how to get his son to talk in the first place and Seungcheol was unfortunately not as good as Jeonghan at easing people into conversation.

Seungcheol yawned, feeling fatigue for the first time in 15 years. Maybe things will be better in the morning when he sees Hansol for breakfast.

However, Seungcheol didn’t have to wait for morning to see Hansol.

There was the sound of glass breaking and Seungcheol was startled awake. He blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings. It was only when he remembered that he was back at home and had a teenager in the house that Seungcheol bolted out of the bedroom. Once outside his room, he could see the kitchen lights on and Hansol was squatting on the kitchen floor, picking up pieces of broken glass from the puddle on the floor.

“Stop!” the command made Hansol froze and look up at him and Seungcheol’s heart broke when he saw his son’s puffy red eyes.

“Stay right there,” Seungcheol left before Hansol could reply and returned quickly with a dustpan, broom and dishrag in one hand and a pair of sneakers in the other. Wearing shoes himself, Seungcheol went over to his son and placed the items on the floor and Hansol’s sneakers next to his son.

“Put the glass down and put on your shoes.”

Hansol nodded and got up, slipping on his shoes and before his son left the kitchen, Seungcheol called out.

“Did you cut yourself?”

Hansol blinked owlishly before shaking his head and Seungcheol nodded in reply, turning back to the task of wiping up the spill and sweeping up all the broken glass. When he was done, he kept the broom, dustpan, rag and shoes before returning back to the kitchen for a glass of water. He’ll mop the kitchen floor tomorrow for walking around in shoes but for now, there was something more important that he had to do.  
He stopped at Hansol’s room and knocked lightly and instead of waiting for a reply, this time, he opened the door. Hansol was sitting up in bed, starring at his phone and the light from the device illuminated his surprised face when he turned in Seungcheol’s direction.

“I thought you might want some water since you didn’t get it earlier.”

The boy nodded and Seungcheol entered, passing the boy the glass. He watched as Hansol took the glass with a soft “thanks” and gulp down half a glass before putting it down. He was able to reach for the glass when Hansol put the glass between his blanketed legs, next to his faced down phone.

“Sorry.”

Seungcheol blinked, “Huh?”

“For breaking the glass,” Hansol’s explanation was soft but as it was the dead of the night, there wasn’t much noise to compete with his son’s voice.

Seungcheol shrugged, “Don’t worry about it, accidents happen. I’m just glad that you aren’t hurt.”

Hansol nodded and hummed and with the light from the outside street lamps, Seungcheol could see his son look down at the glass.

Thinking that his son wanted to be left alone, Seungcheol was about to wish his son goodnight when he heard Hansol mumble, “… kiss... night.”

“Sorry?”

“Dad,” Hansol repeated, “used to kiss me good night.”

Seungcheol nodded, patiently waiting for Hansol to continue.

“He loves giving me kisses and hugs and they were ok in the beginning but you know, it just got embarrassing,” Seungcheol hid a smile at the small whine in his son’s voice.

“So we made a deal. One kiss, before bed, every night.”

Seungcheol could hear his son’s voice waver slightly at the word “night”.

“He hadn’t kissed me for 15 nights,” Seungcheol so badly wanted to hug his boy when he saw Hansol wipe harshly at his face.

“I would let him kiss me all the time if he would just wake up.”

Seungcheol feet moved on his own as he made his way to Hansol’s bed, taking the glass and Hansol’s phone and putting it on the bedside table before engulfing his son in a tight hug.

He could feel Hansol stiffened slightly before relaxing and leaning into Seungcheol’s embrace.

“Your dad told me that if you don’t allow him to kiss you at all, he’ll still be ok with it.”

He chuckled when he heard Hansol’s snort of disbelief.

“I never said he’ll like it but he’ll live. Because he is immensely proud of having a son so honest and kind, not to mention tall and handsome.”

There was another snort but this was softer and somehow, warmer.

“He’ll be back, son. I promise. I don’t know exactly when but I promise you with my life that he will be back with us,”

Hansol gently pushed away, hands dropping to his lap, “how do you know?”

Was this the right time for Seungcheol to tell Hansol everything? It may seemed like a great time but Seungcheol knew Jeonghan would skin him alive if he deprived his son of his beauty sleep.

“It’s a long story,” he paused, “A story that you need some sleep to prepare for. So, get some sleep, and we’ll talk after breakfast.”

He chuckled when he saw Hansol’s scowl, “Your dad would kill me if I kept you up so late. So, for my sake, if not for your own, get some sleep.”

Hansol huffed but settled back down and Seungcheol got up to tuck Hansol in. Before he could overthink it, he quickly pressed a kiss to Hansol’s forehead.

“I know it’s not the kiss that you’re looking for but for this time, just until your dad comes home, would you allow me to stand-in for him? I’m not as pretty but I’m definitely a better cook.”

Hansol burst of laughter made Seungcheol grin and after a beat of silence, his son nodded, the simple action made Seungcheol’s heart unbelievably light.

“Ok, but you have to yet to proof that you’re a better cook than dad.”

Seungcheol put a hand to his heart, feigning hurt, “But what about dinner?”

The boy snort, “Instant ramen, spam and eggs does not exactly make a gourmet dinner. Besides, dad would flip if he knew that you made me this for dinner.”

Did his son just threatened him? Seungcheol didn’t know whether to feel proud or shocked at this revelation.

Pretending to sound stern, he grunted, “Fine. You win this round. I’ll be on my guard next time. And I will proof to you that I’m a much better cook than your dad tomorrow.”

Reaching out, Seungcheol ruffled Hansol’s hair, “Goodnight, son,” and this time, the endearment was on purpose and Seungcheol’s heart almost flew from how light it felt as not only did Hansol not flinch, the boy also closed his eyes, leaning into his touch.

  
“Night, erafkdf,” the last word masked as a large yawn and though it was barely understandable, Seungcheol was sure that Hansol called him dad. Whether it was intentional or Hansol had let his guard down due to his tiredness, it didn’t matter.

Hansol was his son, no matter what Hansol called him.


	9. Monologue

Jihoon frowned for the umpteen time as he tried unsuccessfully to ignore the tugging at his feet.

  
Pushing the earphones off his head, he rolled his chair back slightly and looked down at the source of his distraction, the corgi puppy who had taken an intense liking to Jihoon’s laces. The corgi, Cerebus, was nibbling at the laces, trying to pull them free, only to exert a little too much force, resulting in it plopping back on its hind legs, looking absolutely disgruntled.

  
Jihoon gave a small chuckle then a sigh as he rolled his chair further back so that he could bend down and pick up Cerebus, its short legs dangling in the air. Putting the corgi on the table, he watched the corgi sniff everything it could put its nose to.

  
“Don’t think I don’t know why you’re here,” Jihoon said to the puppy, which, naturally, ignored him as it sniffed the keyboard in interest.

  
“Jeonghan is trying to soften me up, distract me.”

  
Cerebus’ ears twitched, either in acknowledgement of its owner’s name or because it smelled something particularly interesting in the keyboard - Jihoon wasn’t sure which.

  
Jihoon sighed as he reached forward to scratch behind Cerebus’ ears, the puppy pausing momentarily to close its eyes at the sensation, eyes opening back up when Jihoon removed his hand. The puppy tilted its head adorably before going back to the keyboard, now sniffing the numberpad.

  
“It’s not as though I don’t want to go along with Jeonghan’s plan. Talking to and learning from other producers, furthering my music for real? It’s a dream come true.”

  
Jihoon reached out and picked the puppy up, putting it on his lap, absently stroking its fur.

  
“But, that’s just it, you know, just a dream. We are gods, not humans. We can’t have dreams, or ambitions. We live to continue the work of gods before us. To ensure that the cosmos is aligned, till the end of time.”

  
The puppy licked Jihoon’s hand, in what he thought was an act of sympathy.

  
“It’s not that bad actually. I mean, I kind of enjoyed it for the first century. After that, well, with everything in life, it just gets, well, a little boring.”

  
The puppy continued licking Jihoon’s hand. Jihoon sighed as he looked up, taking in his surroundings, his studio. He looked back down at the puppy.

  
“I actually have to thank your owner for this actually. If I didn’t make my way down to earth, I wouldn’t have seen the town Jeonghan lived in, passed by the music store, got lost in it for way too long and for the first time in a very long time, actually felt alive,” he chuckled, “the irony, I know.”

  
“It’s because of Jeonghan that I started redecorating, incorporating music and everything about it in my work, make it not so dead and routine.”

  
He sighed loudly, “I know, then why the hell am I resisting Jeonghan’s idea right?”

  
“It’s not that easy. We don’t know the repercussions. And I know Jeonghan is doing this so that he can be with his family. I’m not a monster, I don’t want to rip anyone away from their family. None of the lifetime gods want to this job, but I got it worst, ok? I’m the incarnate Zeus, who the hell do I complain to?!”

  
Cerebus whined at the sudden rise in Jihoon’s voice, butting its head into Jihoon’s stomach, trying to shift as close as possible, as though trying to give Jihoon comfort.

  
Jihoon sighed for the umpteen time, a small smile on his lips as he patted the puppy, picking it up so that he could cuddle it to his chest.

  
“Sorry, it’s just,” he paused, “don’t think I don’t know that everyone hates me for taking them away from their family,” he trailed off, “I don’t even remember my family. I think I had a mum and a little sister, or was it a brother?”

  
Jihoon’s smile was off, “It’s just been too long,” he lets out a deep breath, “But it’s not so bad now. I got Jeonghan and the other gods. The Fates are, well, interesting. And did you hear that? They can actually sing! Maybe I can produce something when we..”

  
Jihoon shook his head, “Nope, don’t even think about that. There’s too much risk. But,” Jihoon paused, “I incorporate elements down there with elements up here and everything’s working fine. So who’s to say it wouldn’t work reversely? But then, it could upset the cosmos..”

  
“But,” Jihoon stood up, puppy in his arms, “Jeonghan did say we’ll test it out, do it in phases, see what happens. It’s not like we’re going to uproot Olympus immediately, right?”

  
Cerebus shifted in his arms, stubby legs kicking as it tried to wiggle out of Jihoon’s grip. Jihoon put the puppy down and the puppy walked one round before going back to Jihoon, attacking his laces again.

  
“And if, and I mean a big if, and we must take it slow, make sure everything is in its place and nothing will get affected, there is nothing that can stop us right? I mean, if we make sure that we cross all our T’s and dot our I’s, it’s not impossible right? I am Zeus, am I not?”

  
“That you are, brother.”

  
Jihoon stiffened momentarily before turning around to see Jeonghan, sitting in his chair, smug look on his face, Cerebus in his arms – Jihoon realized belatedly that the adorable traitor didn’t alert Jihoon of Jeonghan’s arrival.

  
“How much did you hear,” Jihoon gritted out, his cheeks growing hotter every moment.   
Jeonghan feigned ignorance, “Hmm, as much as you want me to hear and as little as you don’t, dear brother.”

  
Jihoon harrumphed as he gestured for Jeonghan to get out of his chair. Jeonghan, thankfully, stood gracefully without a word, Cerebus not even struggling in Jeonghan’s arms, contentedly licking Jeonghan’s fingers.

  
Jihoon took his seat and put his earphones back, the track had long stopped with only silence greeting him, not loud or distracting enough to ignore Jeonghan just behind him, trying to pretend that Hades hadn’t heard his monologue.

  
“Jihoonie…”

  
Jihoon sighed loudly, not seeing any point in delaying the inevitable. He pushed off the headphones and turned back to face Jeonghan, wide smile still intact.

  
“If, and I mean, if, we’re going to do this, we are going to take it slow. We make sure that nothing, absolutely nothing goes wrong before we even take another inch forward. Do I make myself clear?”

  
Jeonghan grinned, “Crystal.”

  
Jihoon harrumped again as he crossed his arms in a show of defiance even though he had already surrendered to Jeonghan’s idea. His tone softened as he regarded Jeonghan.

  
“You do know that this won’t be completed immediately right? You still won’t be able to see them for many years. Maybe even longer than when Seungcheol left you.”

  
Jeonghan’s smile dimmed slightly as he nodded, “I know. But as long as I still see them in the end, that’s what matters.”

  
Looking down at the puppy still licking his fingers, he muttered softly.

  
“I can wait and I know my family will wait for me.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the long wait and thanks for the patience! One (?) More to go and hope (fingers crossed) it won't take so long next time. Thanks again!


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